


The Mantra

by SilverDaye



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Family, Gen, Padme Lives, Padmé Amidala Lives, Siblings, Skywalker Family, Skywalker Family Drama, Skywalker Family Feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-03-02 01:51:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 75,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13307880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverDaye/pseuds/SilverDaye
Summary: Padmé survives childbirth and goes into hiding with Obi-Wan and her twins. She hides on Tatooine, living with the Lars. She lives by a mantra to stay hidden, so she isn't found by him. However, what will she and children do when she can't stay hidden and Darth Vader hunts them down?





	1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

"I have a son," Darth Vader said to himself. He stood in front of the view point in his private quarters. A star destroyer of his fleet sailed nearby.

"I have a daughter," he said. His hands clenched. The anger hadn't stopped boiling over in him. It continued to sear through him. The Dark Side of the Force heeded its call. It flooded into him, rejoicing at the ever growing darkness.

_Padmé was alive._

Vader's hands clenched together stronger. He could feel the Dark Side pulsing through him and out of him. The durasteel floors and walls around him creaked and started to crack. Sparks flew from wirings on the wall.

_SHE WAS ALIVE._

All this time Padmé, his wife, had been alive. Yet not only was she alive but also their child. No,  _children_. He had children. Grown children.

Another burst of power rippled through the room.

Darth Vader's mind recalled the facts of the report he had been given. He was hunting down the pilot who shot down the Death Star. The one that had invaded him. The one that was strong in the force. Vader had employed a bounty hunter in attempts to bring the pilot in. He had failed. Yet not completely.

"Lars," the bounty hunter said. The pilot's name was Lars. "Yet he goes by the name  _Skywalker_  amongst the Rebels." The bounty hunter almost spat the name Skywalker out. Vader stayed quiet. The bounty hunter dismissed himself.

The anger he felt at the bounty hunter for failing to capture the boy had tripled at the name of Skywalker. How dare some pathetic rebel scum use  _his_  name? And then the rest of what of the hunter said came back to him. Lars? Vader's mind reeled recalling information long forgotten. Lars. Tatooine. His mother. Suddenly everything clicked.

Vader had sent out his own agents to hunt down the rest of the information he wanted. Finally the the report had been completed.

Mae Lars lived with her brother-in-law Owen Lars with her two twin children, Luke and Leia.

He scoffed at the name. Mae Lars? How dare she use that name? She would come to use her rightful name again, once she was by his side again. Once his whole family by his side again.

He couldn't contain his rage. Ripple after ripple trashed through the room. The thought of having his children stolen from him, raised never knowing their father. Worse still  _Obi-Wan Kenobi_  had been there.

A powerful ripple tore through the room. The lights flickered and finally died out. The only light came from space beyond the window.

 _How dare Kenobi be there with his children._  If he could he would kill Kenobi again, slowly and painfully. He would do it a thousands times over. The man had not paid properly for his crimes. His death had been too easy. To turn his wife against him. To cause him to attack his wife. Then to steal her and his children away from  _him_!

The Dark Side sang and welcomed the jealousy Vader felt. The betrayal. The anger. He hadn't felt these strong of emotions in years. The Dark Side soaked it up. Vader's connection the Force was stronger than ever.  _He_ was the most powerful being.

Yes he would get her back. She would be at his side. Along with his children. They would be at their rightful place in the galaxy.

"They will be mine," he said. It was his own mantra. "It will  _all_ be mine."


	2. Chapter 2

 

* * *

_A few months earlier . . ._

* * *

_Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._

The woman once known as Padmé Amidala Naberrie repeated the mantra in her mind. She had lived by it for the past nineteen years.

 _Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden. Don't let_ him _find you._

So far the mantra had worked. Though every day Padmé feared it would break. All it would take is one small slip. She hated how much fear seemed to run her life now. How much fear seeped into every facet of her life. She took a deep breath and steadied her nerves.

 _It's for the children_ , she told herself. Her second mantra she lived by.  _It's all for them._

Nineteen years ago she gone into hiding with her twins. Nineteen years ago her death was faked. A funeral was held. Nineteen years ago Padmé lost her husband, and now hid from the monster he had become. She took another deep breath. Finally mentally prepared for the day, Padmé set out.

The small room was still dark. Two bunks sat on either side, one occupied and one empty. Padmé had gotten dressed without the lights not wanting to disturb the still sleeping figure. She dressed as she always did, in simple spun clothes to blend in. She wore loose light tan pants, a long flowing brown tunic with a long blue vest. Her long brown hair was done up in loose braids, which then collected into loose bun. She quietly left and closed the door. She descended the thin, narrow stairs and stepped into the street.

Mos Eisley was relatively quiet in the dawn hours. The twin suns had yet to breach the horizon and as such it was still cool out. Padmé made her down the street. She wasn't alone on the streets. Other individuals were starting their day out as well. Traders carting their goods. Others scurrying around on the roads to their jobs or families or who knows what else.

She came to a marketplace. A few vendors were setting up their stalls for the day. It was still very quiet, especially compared to the loud ruckus it would become in a few hours. She made her way through the stalls until she found the one she was looking for.

Unlike the other stalls, a small crowd had gathered. They were all women. Most were human but there were a few of other races. They were all drinking caf or tea. A few munched on some breakfast. The woman who ran the stall had found a good customer base by opening in the early morning hours offering drinks to those who were starting their day off early.

The owner was an older, plump human woman. Her wrinkled face was tan and hard, etched by the many sandstorms of the planet. The woman nodded at Padmé as she came up to the stall. Without saying a word, the owner handed Padmé a cup of caf.

"Well if it isn't Lady Vader," one woman said noticing Padmé. Padmé visibly winced at the name. While the other woman may come to the stall in the mornings for camaraderie and gossip, Padmé ventured here for news.

She was obsessed with any news about Darth Vader. She spent hours almost daily scouring the holonet. She wanted to know every detail about the man, the monster. Most importantly she wanted to know his location. Often there was no public knowledge of where he was currently, only where he had been. Her obsession had earned her a nickname amongst these women.  _Lady Vader._  Little did the women know how accurate that name was.

"Please don't call me that," Padmé said in small voice. Some of the women chuckled and went back to their previous conversations.

Padmé turned to the owner. The owner had a pretty well connected social net including traders, smugglers, and criminals. She often had gossip on either Vader or his flagship the  _Devastator_. The owner smiled knowing the unspoken question. "I haven't heard anything since Scarif," the woman said.

Padmé's lips formed a small thin line. She tried not to frown. Padmé turned around holding the cup of caf letting it warm her hands. The holonet had been filled with the story about Scarif. A rebel attack of a military installation. Thousands dead. There was a large outcry for the heads of the rebels. Of course Darth Vader had been there to help defeat the rebels. Hailed as a hero on the holonet. It was said he was off in hunt of those who had escaped, but no word of where that was.

Padmé sighed and glanced at the sky. The suns were just starting to peek out, and the light was changing color. Padmé thanked the owner, returning the cup, and walked back to her room. She pushed her fear down. Paranoia some said.

Nineteen years and she still remained hidden. Nineteen years and her children were still safe.

Padmé had work to do in Mos Eisley before she could return home to the Lars Homestead. She hoped to be home this afternoon, but it may not be for another day. Her fear nagged at her.

_Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._

She desperately wanted to drop the job and just return home. She had done this on more than one occasion in the past.

"You can't keep jumping at every shadow and rumor," Owen Lars, her brother-in-law, had said. He was right. Padmé pushed the fear down, something she grown used to over the years, and walked back up the stairs to her room.


	3. Chapter 3

 

* * *

Padmé clenched her hands into her long tunic under the table. A headache throbbed in her temples. The table sat in the middle of a small dark room. On the other side of the table and on each side of the room sat two different racial groups huddled together arguing amongst themselves. Each in their own language.

Padmé had become a translator, often between trade deals such as this. She had little other skills of value on this planet, especially ones that fit into her mantra of not sticking out. Being a translator gave her a meager income, but she had been determined to help Owen and Beru Lars financially however she could after the two had taken her and her children in.

Yet Padmé hated the job. She had started out doing the jobs with the same mindset as a senator, that the galaxy could be won with justice and fairness. However Padmé quickly learned that there was very little of that in the trade deals on Tatooine. The traders were often smugglers and criminals drawn to the planet due to its out-of-the-way location. The traders were always in it for themselves, wanting to get one over on the other side. This is why they employed Padmé instead of using droids. Droids weren't always so subtle, not the best at lying or shifting blame.

The trade deal had started late. Though Padmé had arrived early, the trading parties had not. They claimed there was some commotion happening out in the streets. Some sort of manhunt. Padmé could only roll her eyes. She felt pity for whoever decided to anger the Hutts enough to cause a hunt through Mos Eisley. Most likely trying to capture them before they caught a ship off planet.

An irritated sigh escaped from the person sitting next to Padmé. She looked over at her daughter Leia. She had been accompanying Padmé on her translating jobs for two years now. Leia reflected Padmé's feelings about the current proceedings. The two groups still sat in heated debates amongst themselves. One side wanted more credits after a casualty during transporting of goods, and the other side felt they should give them less due to less manpower was used.

Padmé took a long look at her daughter. Leia took after Padmé, something that always warmed Padmé's heart. She wore her hair and clothes similar to Padmé's, but her hair was done up tighter and her clothes a bit more form fitting instead of loose.

Watching her daughter brought up Padmé's fear from that morning. She could feel the anxiety in her rising. Her heart beat harder, and her headache got worse. Padmé placed her hands on the table and stood up. The two trading parties both stopped talking and glanced at her. It was time for this negotiation to end. She may end up severing any future jobs for this client, but she wanted to be home. She needed to be home. To stay hidden.

Two hours later Padmé and Leia both stepped into the bright light of twin suns, Tatoo I and II. By now the spaceport town of Mos Eisley was bustling with activity. Various races walked about, speeders drove by, and ships occasionally crossed the sky. The two made their way through the squared brown buildings towards the hangar where they kept their speeder.

Padmé was super focused as she moved through the crowds. She looked for people watching or following her. Hadn't she seen that Rodian before two streets ago? Her whole body was tense. She noticed every now and then someone running or someone else ducking into a shadowed alleyway.

"It's just whatever that manhunt is," Leia said as if reading her mother's thought. "It's just making everyone on edge." Padmé did noticed that people did seem to be moving about quicker today. Very few moved leisurely. In fact many mirrored Padmé, glancing around uncomfortably at everyone else.

The women turned a corner and both stopped dead. Ahead on the street stood a patrol of white stormtroopers. They had formed a checkpoint, inspecting each person as they walked through. Padmé sucked in a breath. Her heart felt like it had been chained and dropped into waist. Cold dread filled her stomach.

Leia spun towards her mother, eyes wide. The unspoken question and fear clear on her face.

_Was it for them?_

"They're just looking for droids," a voice said through the thick mutterings of the crowd. "Why droids?" said another.

Padmé snapped her eyes back to the troopers. Those without droids seem to walk by without a second glance from the troopers. Only droids or those with droids were being stopped and questioned or worse being taken off else where with a trooper escort.

"It's . . .," Padmé started, "It's not for us." She grabbed Leia's hand and moved forward. Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked forward.

"We could go back and around. Come at the hangar through . . ." Leia started to say.

"No," Padmé cut her off. "If they're here on this street, they will be on other streets. We will have to make our way through them sooner or later. This is the manhunt we heard about earlier. I thought it was the Hutts . . . but I guess it's Imperial. This is going to be going on throughout the whole place."

Padmé had to believe that was all they were looking for was droids. She hadn't been careless. She hadn't let anything slip. Surely Luke and Leia hadn't been careless either? There was no reason for anyone to be looking for them. It couldn't be. Not after nineteen years.

 _Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._ Padmé's mantra repeated in her head.

Leia squeezed her mother's hand as they approached the troopers. They passed through quickly after the troopers saw they had no droids with them. When they were out of earshot, both women let out a long breath. The tension they had been holding was released, but the fear inside Padmé still clawed at her. The two quickly made their way to their speeder. They were both ready to be out of the spaceport and back home. Padmé needed to know everything was alright.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

Leia pushed the speeder on. She was already at its limit. She cursed to herself. This speeder didn't go as fast as the other one. Luke's speeder. He kept modifying and tinkering with it. Granted sometimes Luke's tinkering did more harm than good. Yet right now Leia wished they were in the other speeder, just so she could have more speed.

She needed to be home.

Leia had woken up to a cold and dark room, her mother no longer there. A quick surge of fear shot through her. Only for Leia to chastise herself a moment later. Her mother often went out to the market in these early morning hours.

As Leia got dressed she noticed there was still something bothering her. She felt a tingling in the back of her head and goosebumps spread across her arms. She glanced around the small room, but she knew whatever it was it was beyond this room.

Leia was incredibly relieved when her mother returned. She was ready to tell her mother about her bad feeling, but when she saw her mother's face she didn't. Her mother wasn't in a good mood. She wore a frown and her eyes seemed to be staring off. Leia sighed and kept her own thoughts to herself.

Leia thought perhaps the gnawing feeling was coming from the trade job. While the job didn't go well, the feeling didn't go away after it was over. It only got worse as Leia and her mother made their way through town and saw the stormtrooper checkpoint. It got even worse as they got back on their speeder and made their way home.

By now Leia felt like her insides were being pulling out of her. It was painful. Her breath was short. She sat tense as she steered the speeder home. Her driving was careless, causing her mother to shout her name a few times. Yet Leia didn't slow down, she kept pushing the speeder on.

It was now late afternoon. The suns were low in the sky. The speeder crested a sandy ridge. Black smoke clouds were rising in the distance. Leia gripped the controls tighter. The smoke was coming from the direction of home.

Leia could no longer hear the wind as it rushed past. Only the sound of beating heart filled her ears. The closer she got to home, the larger the black smoke got.

As the speeder come up to the Lars Homestead, it became clear the smoke was coming from the buildings. Large burn marks scorched the sides of the above ground buildings. Plumes of smokes came from the underground dwellings. Leia swung the speeder into an arch. She jumped out before the speeder had come to a stop.

"Luke!" Leia shouted. "Luke! Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru! Luke!"

Leia ran through the smoke shouting her family's names over and over. Tears started to sting her eyes. A squeezing feeling seemed to have taken over her whole body. It hurt to move, to breath, to blink. She moved through a cloud of smoke, to see a figure hunched on the ground.

"Luke!" Leia shouted as she ran towards her brother. She knew it was him as soon as she saw him. His white farmer tunic was dusty and stained. She collapsed onto the sand next to him. "Oh Luke!" She cried and hugged him. "I feared the worse when I saw the smoke! There were troopers in town and . . ."

Leia didn't finish as her eyes followed her brother's. On the ground in front of him laid two charred humanoid remains.  _Uncle Owen. Aunt Beru._  Leia let gasped and fought back choking on her own breath.

 _This was it_ , she thought.  _We've had been found._


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

"Bail!" Padmé shouted. "I can't . . . I can't believe him! How could he do this to us?"

The small desert home of Obi-Wan Kenobi was crowded. After seeing the devastation at the Lars Homestead and burying the dead, the family had come here. Where else was there to go?

Padmé stood in the center of the small living area pacing back and forth. Luke sat on the bed that was nestled into an alcove in the wall. His blond hair was wind whipped, his white tunic stained with soot and sand. Leia sat on the floor in a similar state of dishevelment, her back resting against the bed.

On the opposite side of the room from the twins stood Obi-Wan Kenobi. Padmé's lifelong friend. Her trusted companion. Her children's protector. Obi-Wan still looked every bit a Jedi. He wore the tan tunic and the long brown flowing robes. However, he was no longer the young general he had once been. His hair and beard were white and his body aged. Obi-Wan stood staring out the window across darkened dunes.

In the corner by the door stood two droids. Two droids Padmé instantly recognized as R2-D2 and C-3PO. Droids she had left with Bail Organa shortly after the birth of her twins. Padmé didn't want to leave anything to chance. She didn't want any way for him to track her down. Even if that meant leaving behind the two beloved droids that had once been like family to her and to Ana- She didn't allow herself to finish that thought.

"How could he tell anyone where we are? Besides you and Yoda, he's the only who knows!"

"Calm your anger, Padmé," Obi-Wan said calmly. Padmé could feel her own anger scorching inside her. It only flared up at Obi-Wan's words. "Artoo came looking for me. Your secret may yet still be safe. The two droids don't seem to recognize you. At least Bail went through the memory flush on them."

R2-D2 beeped and whistled. C-3PO responded, "Oh my, I do not know what memory flush they are talking about R2."

Padmé whipped around to fully face Obi-Wan. Her hair was coming loose from its braids. Strands hung in her face and down her sides. She glared at him.

"Safe? Safe!" she shouted. "So what if Bail told where  _you_ are? Who do you think will come looking for  _you_? Who is  _personally_  in charge of hunting down Jedis? The Rebel Alliance? Who is out there right now hunting down the rebels right now?  _Who?_ "

No one answered.

"You think . . ." Padmé continued. Sadness seeped into her words. "You think the Imperials would be happy with your just head? You think _he_  would? That they wouldn't sniff out anything and everything having to do with you? It's a crime to harbor Jedi! Or to help the rebellion! Look what happened to Owen and Beru!"

The name still laid unspoken, yet everyone, except maybe the droids, knew the name Padmé would not speak. Darth Vader. The man once known as Anakin Skywalker. Padmé's husband. The twin's father. Obi-Wan's former apprentice and friend.

Padmé stormed into the back part of the hut away from everyone else. Her anger boiled inside of her, but bringing up Owen and Beru had brought up the grief she was trying to hide. Tears started to well in her eyes. Owen was her husband's step-brother. Owen and his wife had openly accepted Padmé and the twins to live with them. Owen and Beru had been told everything. They still accepted the danger. They still welcomed and loved them. The two had helped raised Luke and Leia, and the five had become a family. Tears quietly ran down Padmé's face.

_Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._

What good had that mantra done her? She had done everything right.  _Everything!_ And yet it was things out of her control that caused this. Caused Owen and Beru to die horrible deaths. Now not only was she and Obi-Wan in danger, but also her children.

She shuddered as the image of Darth Vader came to mind. The one she had always seen on the holonet of the black mask and billowing cloak. It faded away and was replaced with Anakin, eyes glowing yellow with hatred as his hand was outstretched toward her. Padmé gasped in air. Her hand had gone to her throat without her thinking. Even nineteen years later she could still feel the phantom pressure as it clenched her throat.

Finally Obi-Wan broke the silence. "I think you should all come to Alderaan with me." Padmé turned around. Everyone in the room stared at the old Jedi.

"What? Alderaan?" Luke asked.

"No," Padmé said at first softly. "No!" she said louder and more stern. "Absolutely not!"

"Padmé it is not safe here. You know this to be true. You are right. The Imperials will not stop until they have tracked down everything and everyone related to these droids." Quietly Obi-Wan added, "And to me." He stepped forward and explained, "They are probably hunting for you as we speak. There is nothing here for you anymore. Let us go to Alderaan. We can return the droids. Bail can help us find a new hiding place. I know he will. You know he will."

Padmé did not answer. Luke and Leia both looked over at their mother. For the past nineteen years, Padmé had put her children's safety first. She was careful, almost paranoid at times. She had been strict. The twins were so much like their father and mother. They both wanted to be so much more than moisture farmers and translators. Yet Padmé had never let that happen.

_Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._

Three years ago she finally sat her twins down and told the truth. The terrible truth. She feared how they would take it. Would it shatter them? But they needed to know. They were growing older, wanting to stretch their wings, to  _stand out_. They had to know for eventually there would be no one else to protect them. They had to start being able to protect themselves.

The twins had been quiet for days after they heard the news. Then, slowly at first, came the questions. Padmé braved them all. Not all the questions had been bad. Mostly the twins wanted to know more about who their father had been before Darth Vader. They wanted to know about Anakin, and Padmé warmed at this. Though at night, after the children had gone to bed, Padmé would cry herself to sleep at the memories that had been dug up by her children's questions. Her heartbreak never did seem to completely heal.

Her obsession with Darth Vader had lead her to follow his _illustrious career_ for the Empire. The Emperor's enforcer who came to be known as the Dark Lord of the Sith. Vader's path was filled with violence: murder, imprisonment, torture, destruction, and more. Padmé feared what would happen if he found her. If he found her children. Again she could feel the phantom pressure against her throat.

"Alderaan is our best choice," Obi-Wan persuaded. "We have no clue what the Imperials know. They could be only looking for the droids, or just for me." He paused. "We need information and a new place to live. Bail Organa can offer that to us."

In the quiet of the desert night, it took a while for Padmé to finally agree.


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Luke shifted uncomfortably in the morning heat in the streets of Mos Eisley. His eyes kept traveling to the cantina Ben and his mother had disappeared into. His mother had insisted she be the one to go with Ben to find a pilot to take them to Alderaan.

"I've dealt with these pilots for years now. I know my way around them," she said. Ben agreed.

The two left Luke and Leia out on the street to watch the speeders and the droids. It had been the first time the two had been left alone since the events of the previous day. He glanced over at her. She was staring straight ahead, almost as if she was purposely ignoring him. In fact it had felt like she had been avoiding him since she found him sitting in the sand in front of their aunt and uncle's corpses. He wanted to talk to her, but was afraid of what she might say. Would she be angry? Would she blame him?

Luke took a deep breath and reached out with his mind towards his sister. For as long as Luke could remember, he had a close connection with his sister. Some of their friends claimed it was a twin thing. He let his mind get close enough to read her emotions, but not close enough where she would be able to tell what he was doing. Luke wasn't surprised to find Leia feeling scared and grief, but he was surprised to feel excitement.

Luke pulled his mind back to himself and examined his own feelings. He realized he felt the same as his twin. Growing up Luke didn't know much about his father beside that he had been a pilot. His father and Ben had been friends, working together during the Clone Wars. Luke grew up daydreaming he was like his father, a pilot weaving through space. This dream is what brought him to pilot and race skyhoppers with his friends in the canyons. Yet really he wanted pilot in space.

When his friend Biggs Darklighter had been accepted into the Imperial Flight Academy, Luke had begged his mother to attend as well. It was Uncle Owen who stepped in and said Luke couldn't go. Not yet. He was needed for just "one more season" on the farm. But Luke could sense the lie. He grew angry and frustrated. It was then that his mother took Luke and Leia out to Ben's hut. There he learned the truth about his father.

Luke was suddenly very aware of the object sitting in the pouch on his belt. He glanced away, hoping his sister hadn't sensed his shame. She didn't react as she still stared straight ahead. The lightsaber was still a secret. Luke knew how his mother would react if she discovered it, but wasn't sure how his sister would react.

Luke thought back to yesterday morning. He had traveled to Ben's hut carrying the two droids Uncle Owen had purchased the day before. One droid carried a fractured hologram message from a woman wearing a white hooded gown with herwhite hair was done up into braided buns that sat on either side of her hair.

"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." The hologram would stactic out and then repeat.

Luke lied to his uncle and aunt about taking the droids to Anchorhead to have their memories flushed. He took the droids to Ben instead. The R2 unit had allowed Ben to play the whole message. Once again the woman in her flowing dress appeared. Her words echoed in Luke's mind.

_Vital information. Survival of the Rebellion. See this droid safely delivered._

The Rebellion! Luke was awestruck, yet at the same time horrible dread was building in his stomach. How had the droids known to come to this planet? How had they known of Obi-Wan? Luke's mother's mantra has always been to stay hidden. His mother had faked her own death. Supposedly there had even been a funeral. She had gone through great lengths to make sure no one would find them. No one would track them down. Except now someone had. It was decided that Ben would travel back to the Lars Homestead with Luke to speak with Luke's mother about the droids.

"Before we go," Ben said, "I have something for you." Ben walked over to a chest in his hut and opened it up. He pulled out a cylindrical object and handed it Luke. "It belonged to your father. I wanted to give it to you years ago, but your mother wouldn't allow it."

"What is it?" Luke asked turning the object over in his hand.

"Your father's lightsaber," Ben explained. "This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy as a blaster." Luke pressed the button on the side. A blue beam shot out about four feet and hummed. "An elegant weapon for a more civilized time. For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire."

"Before Darth Vader," Luke said quietly as he pressed the button and turned the beam off. "Why give this to me, Ben? My mom won't allow it . . . She's afraid I'll turn into my father."

"No," Ben said, "she's afraid you'll turn into Darth Vader. Darth Vader is not your father. Your father is Anakin Skywalker. He was the best star-pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior. He was a good friend. I loved him like a brother. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force."

"The Force?" Luke almost choked out the words. He had heard about the Force before, in small catches in conversation especially coming from Ben. However at any mention of it, his mother had shut the conversation down.

"Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. I had always wanted to train you in the ways of the Force. Your sister too, but your mother always denied such a thing. Take the saber, Luke. It is yours to keep. Your father would want you to have it."

Luke stared at the saber. He couldn't say no. He didn't want to give it back. He wanted to keep it. Something felt right about keeping it. He knew his mother would be furious if she ever found out. Yet this was something that had belonged to his father. At least the man his father had been before Darth Vader. The man known as Anakin Skywalker. The man his mother had fallen in love with and married. This was a piece of his true father.

Luke was taken back to his present surroundings. The wind blew sandy dust down the street. He wondered, perhaps as the rest of them did, had they been truly compromised by the droids. Did Darth Vader know? Was he hunting them down now?

It brought to another burning question. What  _would_  happen if Darth Vader found them? If his father found him? Luke assumed it was to kill them. His mother had told them, very briefly, of the last encounter she had with her husband. How she been left for dead at his hands. Surely he would want to finish the job.

Luke glanced over at his sister. She still stared ahead. She seemed to be mastering her emotions better than him. Already she was less scared. He marveled at her courage. Even three years ago after learning the truth about their father she hadn't cowered.

"I won't live my entire life in fear," she said to her brother one night. "I can't be like mom and Ben. I won't be like them. I just can't hide away all my life."

Luke had taken strength from his sister's words back then, and still drew upon that strength now. Luke glanced back at the cantina feeling optimistic.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

Leia had stayed with her mother until she finally fell asleep. She left the bunks of the crew's quarters and made her way into the main hold of the  _Millennium Falcon_. Leia frowned at the shabby ship and frowned even deeper as she remember the ship's captain.

Leia believed her mother and Ben were good judges in character, but this Captain Solo did not impress Leia. Leia had been accompanying her mother on translating jobs for two years now, and this Solo guy was just like every other black-market smuggler: sleazy, scruffy, and only in it for credits. Perhaps that is why Padmé and Ben picked Solo and his Wookie companion. Someone who was just easy to pay off.

Leia's thoughts went to her brother. The two had barely said a word to each other since she found him at the homestead the afternoon before. She wanted to ask him about everything that had happened. Yet every time she tried to talk to him, she found she couldn't get the words out. When the two had stood on the streets outside the cantina, she just stood there staring ahead. Her lips wouldn't move. She had tried to build up the courage to talk to him, but she didn't want to worsen any wounds after the loss of their aunt and uncle. Perhaps now she could finally talk to him.  _As long as that captain isn't around,_  Leia told herself.

Leia stopped at the entrance into the main hold. The gold droid watched the blue astrodroid and the Wookie playing a game of dejarik. Ben sat across the hold watching Luke, who stood in the middle of the floor. He held a humming blue laser sword. A seeker droid was circling around him in the air.

 _What was he doing? What is he holding?_  Leia thought. But she knew exactly what was happening. Luke looked like what Leia always thought a Jedi might look like, holding a lightsaber, fending off lasers. Leia frowned. Her first instinct was to speak out against this. Their mother would never approve. She had always been quite outspoken about Luke and Leia not being trained in the ways of the Jedi.

Yet, she didn't call out to Luke telling him to stop. She was intrigued as Luke tried to dodge the seeker's lasers. Her spell was short lived as Han Solo entered the hold from the other entryway. He was a man that carried himself confidently and with a bit of swagger.

"Well you can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs," he said. "I told you I'd outrun them." Luke continued his practice, the Wookie and the droids continued their game, and Leia went back to watching Luke. "Don't everyone thank me at once," Han grumbled. "Anyway we should be in Alderaan at about oh-two-hundred hours."

Han glanced over at Leia and smiled. He made his way across the hold to her, commenting to the droids to let the Wookie win. Leia leaned away from Han as he approached.

"Hey," Han said as a one sided smile crept across his face. "I don't think we've been properly introduced, with our hectic departure and all."

"Captain Han Solo," Leia replied tersely. Han kept smiling, waiting for more.

"Yes . . ." he said. "That's me. You are?"

"Leia Lars," she replied. Leia was keeping her eyes on Luke, only offering small glances at the captain. Han followed her eyes.

"So are you and the kid . . . married?" he asked.

"What? No!" Leia stumbled. "He's my brother!"

"Hey!" Han said holding both his hands up in the air. "What do I know about you farm kids?"

Luke yelled out. Leia's attention snapped back to her brother. He had gotten hit in the leg by the seeker's laser. Han laughed and Leia frowned. Each minute Leia liked this captain less and less. Ben suggested that Luke try again, but this time with a large helmet on and the blast shield down. Leia can feel her brother's doubt and fear.

Luke moved blindly around waving the saber, and the seeker once again hit him. Leia continued to watch. She held her breath. Again the seeker fired at Luke, but this time he deflected the laser with the blue lightsaber.

"See you can do it," Ben said proudly. Luke lifted the blaster shield of the helmet up. He smiled at Ben and then glanced over at Leia. She should say something. Their mother would not allow this.  _Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._ The mantra of their mother repeated in Leia's head. Was this staying hidden? Luke swinging around a laser sword? Before Leia can speak up, the captain talked.

"Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan," Han said. He flashed a smile at Leia before returning to the cockpit with the Wookie following behind him. Ben looked over at Leia.

"Perhaps you would like to try as well?" he offered.

Luke turned to completely face his sister. She can feel his happiness and pride.  _This fits him_ , she thought. He held out the saber towards her, offering it up. Her hand started to reach out, but she flinched and drew her hand back. Could she do this?  _Should_ she do this?

Luke noticed and frowned. No use hiding her fear from him. Just like she felt his accomplishment minutes before, he was feeling her uncertainty. Their twin connection they seemed to have. Luke opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak the whole ship violently shuddered and shook.

 


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

Everything was spiraling out of control. The droids. Owen and Beru. Leaving Tatooine for Alderaan. And now instead of arriving on Alderaan, to seek Bail Organa's help, they had been pulled into a massive moon-shaped battle station. Luckily they had avoided capture.

As Padmé had figured back on Tatooine, Captain Solo was more than just a simple trader. His ship had been outfitted with smuggler lockers, which is where they had hidden as the stormtroopers had boarded the ship and done their initial search. When the second search was to begin, this time with a scanner, Captain Solo and his co-pilot the Wookie had ambushed the men. They then lured the two troopers guarding the ramp and ambushed them as well.

Now four unconscious men, two officers and two troopers, lay on the floor of the ship. Captain Solo was pulling the white armor off one of the troopers. Luke had just helped Padmé out from the smuggler locker, and she hadn't let go of his arm since.

"Mae," Obi-Wan said. "Mae." Padmé snapped her head up. Mae Lars was the name she had gone by since coming to Tatooine. She didn't use the name Padmé anymore. It was only Obi-Wan who still used it, and generally when the two were alone. However over the last two days, Obi-Wan had started calling her Padmé more and more.

"You and Leia stay here. We will go out and disable the tractor beam," Obi-Wan said.

"No," Padmé said. "Luke will stay here as well." Luke tensed up, and her grip on him tightened.

"Luke has plenty of experience with working on machines and droids. We may have a need for him," Ben said. "You two can stay here, hidden in the smuggler lockers."

Padmé looked at her son. How much he reminded her of his father. Luke looked fearless and ready to take on any challenge. Three years ago Luke had wanted to apply to the Imperial Academy to be a pilot. He grew angry after being told he had to stay and help on the farm. Obi-Wan then suggested it was time to finally tell the twins the truth. Padmé had initially refused. They didn't need to know yet.

Padmé had left everything behind. Everyone she ever knew or loved, besides a very small few, thought she was dead. And for what? So she could give her children a normal and happy life.

"Padmé," Obi-Wan had said. "They are a brilliant light. Look at them. Neither you or I will be able to hold back such light forever. They'll never be contempt to stay here forever. They want," Obi-Wan gestured to the sky, "more."

"I know," Padmé said. "They're too much like their father."

"And their mother," Obi-Wan added. Padmé smiled a small sad smile. It hadn't just been Luke wanting to go out into the galaxy. Leia, though nowhere near as vocal as her brother, had been talking about possibly attending a university. There were no universities on Tatooine.

Padmé could feel her heart breaking at the thought of her twins leaving her. But she had always meant to tell the twins about their father. About her. About it all. She had just wishfully hoped their innocence would last longer. She didn't want to see them troubled and haunted by the truth. Like she was.

She finally did tell them the truth. It had subdued their desires to leave and venture into the stars. How Padmé ached at seeing her children not follow their dreams due to the fear of their own father. Yet as Obi-Wan had said, they were a light. Eventually the light would grow again and Padmé wouldn't be able to stop it.

Padmé realized that here on a smuggler's ship in a battle-station was that moment. The moment she could no longer contain the light of her children. She let go of Luke's arm. She stared at the ground, unable to look at him in the eyes.

"Mom?" he asked a bit surprised. She meekly nodded her head.

"Yes you go, Luke," she said softly. "They might need your help."

Chewbacca, the Wookie, handed both Padmé and Leia a blaster. He let out a soft growl.

"He wants to know if you can use that," Captain Solo translated.

"Of course I do," Padmé said straightening up and holding her head high. She still couldn't look at Luke, fearing tears would come. The captain stopped stripping the armor and stared at her.

He smiled. "I believe it."

The blaster felt familiar enough to Padmé. She couldn't stop the small smile from forming. She thought of the woman she had once been. Another lifetime ago she had been a young queen storming her own palace to free her people. She had been a captive in an arena on Geonosis. Held a Hutt at gunpoint. How many battle droids had she personally taken down? She wondered how her former self would react in this same situation.

_Confidently, but with blasters ready._

She glanced at the men on the floor of the ship. "What do you have to tie them up with and gag them?" she asked.

The captain laughed. "Right to the point!'" He stood up having finished removing the armor from the trooper. "Chewie help the lady out."

The Wookie walked off into the ship. Obi-Wan walked over to Padmé. He placed his hands on her shoulders. Padmé couldn't help but look into his eyes. She couldn't use the Force, but she knew he knew. What this moment was. The moment Luke and Leia started to set off on their own.

 _They are a brilliant light. Look at them. Neither you or I will be able to hold back such light forever._ Obi-Wan's words once again came to mind.

"Padmé," he said softly in an almost whisper. He was once again using her real name. "The force will be with you." A sense of sadness washed over her. She was a bit confused. Shouldn't she be drawing strength from her old friend? Weren't they in this together? Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder first to Luke then to Leia. The twins were quietly watching on. He looked back at Padmé.

"It will always be with you," he added so softly that only Padmé could hear.

* * *

Padmé could hear the troopers as they moved around the ship. Leia and Padmé were back in the smuggler lockers on board Solo's ships. They both sat in the cramped darkened spot gripping their blasters. A short while ago an alarm on the battle station had gone off. Troopers had run onto the ship, discovering the four men they had earlier tied up. Luke had disabled the scanner, but Padmé feared them bringing on board a second one.

Leia crouched next to Padmé. She was tense, her eyes constantly looking up. She held her blaster, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Though it was dark, there was still enough light that Padmé could see her daughter's eyes. Eyes that were determined.

 _So brave,_  Padmé thought.  _Where did she learn it from?_

Surely it hadn't been Padmé. She was no longer the courageous senator going out on dangerous missions in efforts to stop the Clone Wars. She was just now a simple translator who strived to be ordinary and unremarkable to others.

Suddenly there was a commotion. The sound of feet could be heard and felt through the ship. Padmé and Leia tensed in their hiding spot. Yet no one lifted the floor up to find them. The troopers had run off the ship. Leia glanced at her mother, but Padmé was just as clueless. Yet she knew something was happening.

Blaster fire sounded beyond the ship. Padmé tensed again, assuring her grip on her own blaster. Leia copied her mother's movement.

There were sounds on the ramp of people moving around. Then sounds like droids moving. Large stomping sounds were heard, going right over the women's hiding spot.

"Come on!" Captain Solo's voice was heard outside the ship.

"Come on, Luke!" a woman's voice yelled. "It's too late!"

"Blast the door! Kid!" Captain Solo shouts out urgently. Padmé was already standing up and pushing at the roof of their hiding spot open.


	9. Chapter 9

Winter Organa stormed out of the cockpit. The ship was old and shabby looking. It looked and felt like it was barely hanging together, and she was surprised it actually had after the narrow escape from the Death Star. She was also surprised at how easy it had been to escape.

"Easy . . . You call that easy?" the voice of the pilot echoed in Winter's mind.

"Their tracking us!" Winter had replied angrily. That fool pilot. He was only in it for the credits.

Winter knew that first she needed to make sure the Death Star plans she had stored on R2-D2 were still safe and secure. If the ship was being tracked back to the Alliance base, then the only hope they had was analyzing the plans of the Death Star. There had to be something they could use to either disarm it, cripple it, or destroy it.

She entered the hold of the ship. Two women were sitting off to the side. The women had hunched over, obviously talking to one another. As they saw Winter come in, they both stared at her and stood up. Winter had seen the two women briefly when she first boarded the ship, but this was the first time she got a good look at them.

They were clearly related, one older about mid-age, while the other younger about Winter's age. Their eyes were both brown and had long brown hair down up in braids, which were then secured in a loose bun in the back. They both wore simple clothing: loose tan pants, tall brown boots, long tunics. The older wore a blue flowing vest, while the younger kept her tunic belted.

At once Winter thought of the youth Luke. They dressed the same as the farm boy. Were they related?

"She looks just like in the hologram," the younger woman said softly to the older.

Winter could imagine how she appeared. She still wore her white dress, but now it was damp and dirty from her time down in the garbage chute. Her white hair had been done up into two tight buns on either side of her head, but now it was coming loose. Strands of hair had escaped.

The older woman approached Winter. Winter at once took notice to how the woman carried herself. Winter as a princess had been raised with strict equitique training. She had been taught how to walk and move with a sense of confidence, gracefulness, and authority. This woman moved the same way. This was not the way farmers or smugglers moved.

As the woman got closer, Winter got a better look at the woman's face. Something nagged at Winter's mind. The woman looked familiar, but Winter couldn't place where she had seen her. Winter had a holographic memory, yet nothing seemed to completely match up with a face Winter knew. Either this woman was relative of someone she had seen before, or her face had changed since Winter had last seen it.

The older woman was now standing right in from of Winter. "I'm Mae Lars," she said. "This is my daughter Leia." The younger woman nodded at her name. Winter didn't recognize either name.

"I'm Princess Winter Organa. Senator of Alderaan," Winter said as she straightened herself. "Might I ask, but why are you here?" Winter asked. The two women looked at her. "I mean on this ship. You don't exactly look like you're crew members."

"Are you Bail Organa's daughter?" Mae replied quickly. There was a bit of a fire in this woman, Winter noted. Winter confirmed her parentage. Mae continued, "And your father told you nothing of who I am?"

Once again Winter ran the names and faces through her memory. While the older woman's face did seem somewhat familiar, she didn't have a clear match. "I'm afraid I do not know who you are. Are you members of the Alliance?" Winter replied.

Mae Lars took a deep sigh of relief. Winter frowned. Why would her father know these two? Why was Mae relieved when Winter hadn't known who she was? Winter was ready to keep questioning, but Luke entered the hold from behind Winter. He looked at Winter first, a half smile upon his lips, before he saw the two Lars women behind her.

"Mom! Leia!" he said as he rushed over to them. Mae looked relieved and glad to see her son. She pulled him into an embrace.

"Are you ok?" she said softly to him.

"Yes, but mom . . . Ben . . . he . . ."

"There wasn't anything you could have done, Luke," Winter added. She knew he was upset about losing the old man. It was clear back on the Death Star Luke had wanted to go back and rescue him. The whole Lars family appeared disheartened. Leia walked closer to her mother and brother.

"I could have helped make a path back to ship," Luke mumbled.

"Nonsense," Winter added. Luke looked over at her and frowned. "Don't belittle his sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" Luke asked angrily.

"He was a distraction," Winter said matter-of-factly. She wasn't pleased to have lost a great ally and personal friend to her father, especially a Jedi. Yet she knew lost plenty of times working with the Alliance. Great lost . . . She knew how to push her personal feelings aside. "There is no way we would have made it out of the hangar with Darth Vader there."

All three of the Lars' heads snapped up, their eyes wide. Luke quickly looked back to his mother. Winter was amazed at the procession of emotions playing out on Mae's face. At first she was wide-eyed with surprise, then to anger as she looked at her son, and then on to fear. Mae grabbed her son's arms.

"He was there? You saw him?" Mae said in a hushed tone. Luke looked uncomfortably down as he avoided his mother's gaze. "Luke? Luke! Did he see you?"

Luke glanced back over to Winter and Mae followed his gaze. "Maybe we should go talk about this elsewhere," Luke suggested to his mother. She nodded. The three Lars walked out the other entrance of the main hold. Only Luke looked back at Winter before he disappeared down the corridor.

* * *

The  _Millennium Falcon_ would be arriving at Yavin IV soon. After their initial jump away from the Death Star, the  _Millennium Falcon_ had exited hyperspace. Winter used her codes to contact the Alliance of her escape and acquirement of the Death Star plans. Then the  _Millennium Falcon_  made its way to Yavin IV.

Winter spoke to C-3PO and R2-D2 after the meeting with the Lars family in the hold. The droids informed her that the Lars family had bought the two droids after they got picked up by some type of local Tatooine traders. Luke had taken them to see Obi-Wan Kenobi.

 _So the old man was indeed Kenobi_ , Winter thought. _And the Lars did know him._ The droids continued to tell her the rest of the Lars family was killed by Imperial troopers once they tracked the droids down from the traders. The family was then rightfully worried about what to do next.

"It was Master Kenobi who suggested that Master Luke and his family come with him to Alderaan to meet with your father. They were hoping he would help them find a new hiding spot," C-3PO informed Winter.

"Hiding from what?" Winter asked.

"I'm afraid I do not know Princess," C-3PO responded. "But Mistress Mae did seem to be familiar with your father, as if she knew him."

Perhaps Mae was apart of the Alliance, getting involved before Winter herself had or just being a member Winter had never properly come across. Winter hadn't gotten a chance to ask any of the Lars about it. In felt like Mae Lars was avoiding Winter, and Leia seemed to stick to her mother. Winter had been able to chat with Luke a few times. Yet she had never brought up the questions with Luke.

Winter ran her hands through her hair, trying her best to smooth it out. She sat alone on a bunk in the crew quarters of the ship. Leia Lars walked into the room. She looked a bit surprised to see Winter sitting there.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I thought no one would be in here." She glanced back down the corridor. "I was just trying to find a bit of space to myself."

"You're free to join me," Winter said. "I'm just putting my hair back up. I'll be gone in a bit."

Leia took a long look at Winter and then sat on different bunk. Winter started to divide her hair and wrap one side into a bun.

"Why bother?" Leia asked. "Going through the hassle of putting your hair back up? Everyone at in the Rebellion knows what you've gone through. I'm sure they won't care how your hair looks." Leia pulled a leg up onto the bunk and hugged it. She rested her chin on her knee.

"You're right," Winter said. "They won't care, but I do. Appearance does communicate a lot. I don't want to walk off this bucket-of-bolts ship looking like a mess. When I get off this ship, it's imperative that we start analyzing the plans of the Death Star and planning against any attack. I don't want to be regulated to med bay or to a bunk, because I looked tired and need a rest."

Winter had finished putting up the first bun. She let her hands fall into her lap. "They all already know," she said softly. "About Alderaan. I could hear it in their voices over the com earlier." She didn't know why she had suddenly shown a vulnerable side to Leia. "I can't do anything but grieve for Alderaan, and grieving will get me no where. Will get the Alliance nowhere. So I will do what I can to ensure the Death Star is taken down."

Leia sat staring at Winter, obviously contemplating what had just been said.

"Is your mother part of the Alliance?" Winter asked breaking the silence. Leia was a bit surprised by that statement.

"No," she replied. Leia said it with such confidence. It didn't appear to be a lie.

"C-3PO told me about what happened on Tatooine. About your family and home. He said it appeared that your mother knew my father. She was hoping he would help her in continuing to hide." Winter tried to stress the word 'continuing' without being too obvious. Leia just glanced at the wall, letting her leg slide back off the bunk. "Why were you hiding?" she asked getting straight to the point. "Why were you hiding with a Jedi Knight?"

"We were- are hiding from Darth Vader," Leia said. She straightened up. She wasn't going to back down from this. Winter appreciated that. Yet Leia's response wasn't the response Winter had expected. Darth Vader was not a man who bothered with simple farmers from outer rim planets.

Leia continued, "My mother . . . she fell in love with a Jedi. She grew pregnant with my brother and me. When the Empire rose and the Jedi killed off, my mother went to go find my father. She found my father dead and Darth Vader waiting. Vader tried to kill my mother, thought he did, and left her for dead. Ben found my mother and saved her. We've been in hiding ever since."

Winter wasn't sure how much of the story was true, but certain elements were believable. If Luke and Leia were force sensitive, they would have been hunted down by the Empire. That alone was enough to keep them in hiding. It also explained the Lars family's reaction when Winter mentioned Darth Vader. It explained why Mae had been so scared for her son to know if Darth Vader had seen him or not.

Winter finished putting up the second bun in her hair. Leia was still sitting straight up watching Winter. Winter took the moment to get a good look at Leia. Winter realized she written off the other as a meek farm girl, but perhaps her first impressions were wrong. The young woman sitting across from her seemed to have sense of hidden strength. Her eyes were determined.

The ship shook a bit. It had exited hyperspace. They were approaching Yavin IV.


	10. Chapter 10

The ship had landed on Yavin IV without incident. Padmé had been in the main hold the entire time. Once they had landed, Luke and Leia returned from the cockpit. They were both amazed at the planet, described it as very green and lots of trees. Padmé couldn't help but smile at the wonderment her two children had. She hid the pang sadness she also felt. This was the first time her children had properly seen forests. There was so much her children had missed out on. She couldn't help but wonder how they would react upon seeing the beauty of Naboo.

The ramp of the ship was lowered, and Princess Winter Organa, with head held high, walked down first. The two droids followed. The captain and his co-pilot went down next followed by Luke and Leia. Padmé was the last out of the ship. By the time she was walking down the ramp, the princess was already talking with a small group of people nearby. Padmé could easily discern these individuals were of higher ranks than the pilots and mechanics that were walking around the hangar the ship was parked in.

Padmé hoped the story she had invented would work with the Rebels. Granted it wasn't as if the story was a complete lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Padmé had gone over the story about why they were hiding and why they needed to stay hidden with the twins back on the ship. If anyone asked, they all would have the same story.

The princess's welcoming party was now starting to turn to leave with the two droids in tow. Yet one person in the party hadn't left. Instead they stood still. Padmé took a good look at the person. She sucked in a breath.

"Mon Mothma," she said under her breath.

Padmé had no doubts who the woman left standing and staring at Padmé was. In truth she hadn't changed much over the past nineteen years. She still wore her traditional white robes, her red hair still short, and her face still well defined. Mon stood there with a look of surprise on her as she stared at Padmé. No doubt Padmé had been recognized. She wondered how she appeared to Mon. How had time treated Padmé?

Mon walked over with a quick brisk step. Padmé walked down the loading ramp to meet Mon. The twins, the captain, and the Wookie moved a bit to let Mon through. Mon came to a stop in front of Padmé. Mon gave a quick look over Padmé still looking quite shocked.

"Padmé Amidala?" Mon said almost breathlessly. The surprise clearly coming out in her words.

"Is dead," Padmé responded quickly but quietly. Mon stared into Padmé's eyes. Padmé didn't falter, she kept the stare.

"I see," Mon replied. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation somewhere more private."

* * *

Mon had led Padmé to a large conference room. It held a large table with several chairs around it. There was no one else in the room. It was clear they were in some sort of older stone building that had been outfitted with more recent upgrades. Wires were pinned up to the ceiling and walls to run power to the holoprojectors stationed to the side of the room. On the far wall stood a long, thin rectangular window. In its view stood the forests along with the top of a temple-like building in the distance.

"Padmé is that really you?" Mon asked.

Padmé sighed. She wasn't sure why she hadn't thought of the possibility of running into someone who might know her once they got to the Rebel base. If Bail Organa was involved with the Rebellion, why wouldn't others be involved? It made perfect sense that Mon Mothma had become involved. Padmé recalled meeting with Organa and Mothma back when they had been senators during the Clone Wars. They were concerned over Chancellor Palpatine's grab for more and more power. They had created the Petition of 2000.

"Yes," Padmé said. There was no use in hiding it from Mon, who still looked surprised.

"I just can't believe it," Mon said. "I thought you were dead. We all thought you were dead! I attended your funeral on Naboo. I saw your body."

"It was a fake," Padmé said a bit sadly. She thought of her family and other friends who were also deceived. "And not everyone thought I was dead. Bail knew. He helped orchestrate the fake body and funeral."

Mon seemed to consider this news. Probably remembering the events that led up to the announcement of Padmé Amidala's death. Bail was the one who announced it. He was the one who found her body and returned to her home on Naboo to be buried.

"He never told me," Mon said softly.

"As he shouldn't," Padmé said probably a bit too sternly of the deceased man. She had tried to rid herself of the anger she felt at Bail for revealing Kenobi's hiding place to his daughter and thus to the droids. There was still a tiny spark of anger left in her.

"He could have trusted me, but it doesn't matter now. But I can't help asking, why? Why fake your death Padmé?"

"The simple answer is to protect my children," Padmé said. But it was clear that was not the answer Mon was going to accept. "Luke and Leia. Twins. They were in front of me back in the hangar."

"It was noted you were with child when you died," Mon said. "I was surprised to hear you were expecting. I had no idea until your funeral." A moment of awkward silence stretched between the two. "Who was the father?" Mon asked.

"Dead," Padmé quickly responded. "It doesn't matter now. Another victim of the wars. Dead at the hands of Darth Vader. He tried to murder me as well. Left me for dead. Obi-Wan Kenobi found me and brought to a medical facility where I gave birth to my twins. We decided it was for the best we go into hiding. I only wanted what was best for my twins."

Another stretch of silence. Padmé shifted her gaze out the window. She didn't want to look at her old friend.

"Wasn't that a bit much?" Mon finally asked. Padmé turned to look back at Mon. It was clear she wasn't sure what Mon was talking about. "To be hiding all these years? I can understand for a few years while everything calmed down."

The anger started to build inside Padmé. "Do not speak of things you know nothing about."

"You're right I don't know anything about it. I was left in the dark! But Padmé, I can't but feel of all the good you could have done for the Alliance."

Padmé was aghast. Her mouth hung open a small bit and she took a small step back. "What?" she just barely managed to utter.

Mon continued, "Do you understand how much influence you had? How many systems you alone could have pulled into our cause?"

"Did . . . did you not understand me a moment ago? I almost died! At the hands of Darth Vader! I went into hiding to protect my children, so they wouldn't die at the hands of that monster!"

Mon looked at Padmé cynically. "While you were hiding the galaxy only got worse. If you really want to protect your children, you should be working to restore democracy. The thing you used to be a champion of. I have a hard time believing you're really Padmé Amidala."

"Padmé Amidala is  _dead_. She died nineteen years ago. You were at her funeral. I'm sorry Mon, but you are right. I have become a completely different person. I've become a mother. Just like you have for your precious Alliance. I understand your frustration, but you must understand mine as well," Padmé said.

Suddenly the tension Mon released. She looked sad.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You're right. I shouldn't be the one to judge you so harshly. I'm sure you did everything you thought was right." Padmé let out a sigh of relief. "It was just after losing Alderaan and Bail," Mon continued sadly, "and then seeing you in the hangar. I don't know. It was almost as if you had come back to help. We are in a most desperate situation. We need all the help we can get, especially after losing Bail."

Padmé could sense the unasked question. "I'm sorry Mon," Padmé said softly. "I just . . . can't. It's nothing personal against you or Bail or the Alliance. It's just . . . I have to protect my children. I'm all they have left."

Mon looked sadly at Padmé. "If what you say is true, then your family will never be safe as long as the Empire still exists. The best thing for you and the galaxy is to bring it down and restore democracy."

Silence.

"Very well," Mon said. "We will do everything we can to help you, Padmé. However, there are much more pressing matters I must attend to. If we survive this, I will do what I can. However, the offer still stands if you wish to help us. We'll gladly welcome you and your children."

Mon Mothma left the room leaving Padmé alone. Padmé walked over the window and stared out across the forest.  _Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._ The words of her mantra came to mind. She had repeated those words millions of times in the past nineteen years. Had she really done what was best? What Mon had said was true. As long as the Empire existed, her family would never be safe.


	11. Chapter 11

Leia was standing next to the  _Millennium Falcon._  After her mother had disappeared with that lady from the Alliance, the captain, the Wookie, and Luke had set about repairing the Falcon. Leia wasn't much help, but stayed close to Luke handing him tools as he requested. She wanted to stay near her brother in case their mother returned. Luke's head was stuck into the underside of the Falcon, fixing some part or another.

"Skywalker!"

Leia turned around. Walking towards her was a young man she recognized as Biggs Darklighter. He was wearing the orange jumpsuit of a pilot. He smiled as walked up to them.

"Biggs!" Luke shouted as he walked over to join the other two. The two men hugged. Biggs was Luke's best friend. The three of them had grown up together attending school in Anchorhead back on Tatooine. Luke and Biggs had done everything together from shooting womp rats to racing skyhoppers through the canyons.

While Luke and Leia weren't aware of the complete truth about their father, they were told of his name when they were around ten years old. Luke had been excited to learn about his father, so he told Biggs about it despite the warnings from his mother.

"Skywalker? That sounds like a much better name than Lars!" Biggs had said. Luke agreed, and thus Luke's nickname had become Skywalker. Once Biggs had let the name slip in front of Leia's mother. She had been furious and demanded the boys to cease using the nickname. They both sullenly agreed, but still continued to use it when they weren't around the twins' mother.

"Luke!" Biggs said back in the present. Luke's smile was huge as he looked at his friend. "I don't believe it! How'd you get here . . ." Biggs then noticed Leia standing nearby. "Leia!" he said happily as he walked over to her and also gave her a hug. "I always knew you'd make it off that rock, Luke. But Leia too? What are you two doing here? Are you joining the Alliance?"

The twins both looked at each other. Neither one knew what to say. It was Luke who spoke up.

"Listen, I've got some stories to tell you," he said to Biggs.

"I bet," Biggs replied. He still had a smile on his face. "Listen you'll have to tell me all about it later. I've got to go to a briefing. There's some serious things about to go down." He paused and took a good look at Luke. "You going to go out with us?"

Luke looked surprised. "What?" he asked.

"Luke you're the best bushpilot in the outer rim territories. We could use a man like you out there with us," Biggs continued. Leia could feel the excitement and hope from Luke. "Hey let me know when I get back!" Biggs trotted off, disappearing in the direction their mother had gone. Leia looked over at her brother, he still had a big grin on his face.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up too high, kid," Han Solo said. Leia turned to found that he was nearby. He had apparently walked over during the reunion with Biggs and had gone unnoticed.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Luke asked.

"Hey no offense, I just don't see mommy dearest letting you go," Han said. Leia frowned noticing that the light that had been shining from Luke had dimmed just a bit. Luke looked back the way Biggs had gone. Then he started off in the same direction. Leia was quick to follow him.

Leia found herself in a large room, but it was jam packed with people. The vast majority of the individuals wore the orange jumpsuits of pilots, however there were others there in various uniforms along with a variety of droids. On the back wall was a large display screen. An elderly man with white hair and a beard was talking. The screen was displaying schematics and blueprints. Leia guessed it was from the large battlestation, the Death Star, they had escaped from earlier.

Leia noted Princess Winter Organa stood off to the side in the front. A few others stood there as well, looking a bit more important than the rest. Luke had taken a seat in the back amongst the pilots. She didn't feel like Luke and she should be here. She wanted to call out to him, but she also didn't want to draw attention to herself by interrupting the meeting. So she stayed in the back listening.

"Only a precise hit will start the chain reaction which should destroy the station," the old man who was leading the briefing stated. A murmur went around the room. Leia heard a scoff from behind her. She turned around to find Han Solo leaning against the entryway with Chewbacca next to him. Han rolled his eyes. Leia turned around to see that Luke had been talking with a pilot sitting next to him.

"Man your ships!" the old man said. Everyone in the room started to move. "And may the Force be with you!"

* * *

Leia found her way back to the hangar. She wasn't sure how much time had passed between the end of the briefing until now. After the briefing she had left to go find her mother. She was unsuccessful. The thought occurred to her to ask Winter Organa for help, but she couldn't find the princess either.

The hangar was full of noise and bustle. Flight crews were rushing around doing last minute preparations and unlocking the power cuplings. Leia made her way back to the  _Millennium Falcon_ , not really sure where else to go. She found Han Solo and Chewbacca loading small boxes onto the ship.

"Have you seen my mother?" she asked. Han stopped and looked at her.

"No, but you should get out of here," he said. "This whole place is about to blow. You heard what they said. No point in waiting around here."

Leia wasn't sure how to respond, but at that moment Luke walked up wearing an orange pilot jumpsuit. He looked at the captain and the Wookie.

"So you got your reward and you're just leaving then?" Luke asked.

"That's right, yeah! I got some old debts to pay off with this stuff. Even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you?" Han said. "Why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. I could use you. Your sister is welcome to come too." Han nodded towards Leia.

Luke got angry. "Come on!" he said. "Why don't you take a look around? You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them."

"What good's a reward if you ain't around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain't my idea of courage. It's more like suicide."

"All right. Well, take of yourself, Han." Luke said a bit sadly. "I guess that's what you're best at, isn't it?" Luke turned and walked off. Leia looked back over at the captain.

He looked hesitant, but then called out to Luke. "Hey, Luke! May the Force be with you!" Han looked over at Leia and smiled. "I don't suppose you would want to join me? I have a feeling you'd be a fast learner with a blaster."

Leia let out a small smile. She shook her head and then turned to go after Luke. However, after she gone a few steps, she stopped and turned back around. Han Solo still stood unmoving just watching. He winked at her. Leia assumed she would be disgusted by such a gesture, but instead she finds herself a little bit heartened. She gave him a small wave before she turned back around and continued on her way.

Leia found Luke standing under one of the fighter ships with Winter Organa standing next to him. The two were talking, but Leia was too far away and the hanger too loud to hear what they said. Luke looked upset, and Leia could feel it. Leia pondered what she would say to her brother to cheer him up, but she never finished the thought. Winter walked up to Luke, gave him a small kiss on the cheek, and then walked off. Leia stopped in a bit of shock.

 _What was that?_  She asked herself. She knew Luke and Winter had hung out a few times during the journey to Yavin IV, but surely nothing beyond that.  _Perhaps it was just friendly._ Leia tried to convince herself, but she could feel her brother's warmth over the kiss through their connection.

"Luke!" Leia watched as Biggs ran over to Luke and patted him on the back. "I knew you'd decide to come out with us."

Luke smiled, "Of course I'll be up there with you!"

"Are you . . . Luke Skywalker?" a man asked as he walked over to Luke and Biggs. He also wore an orange pilot jumpsuit. His helmet appeared to be more decorated than the other pilots. Leia hurried the rest of the way over to Luke and Biggs. She walked up right as the other older man walked away.

"I've got to get aboard my ship," Biggs told Luke. "Listen, you'll tell me your stories when we come back. All right?" He started to walk away.

Luke called back to him, "I told you I'd make it someday, Biggs!"

Biggs looked over his shoulder. "You did, all right! It's going to be like old times, Luke!" Then Biggs disappeared into the hustle of the hangar. Luke was like a shining star, excitement and joy radiating from him.

"Luke!" Leia said. Luke turned to his sister, as if it was only now he noticed her there. Suddenly she could feel his guilt wash over him. "So you're going out there?" Leia asked.

"Yes," Luke said. He wasn't backing down.

"What are you going to tell mom?" she asked.

"I don't know," Luke said walking over to the ladder of his ship. Crewmen were scrambling all over getting it ready. R2-D2 was being lowered from a crane into Luke's ship. "I was hoping you'd tell her!" Luke said as climbed up to the cockpit.

"Wait, what? Luke!" Leia cried. Yet Luke's attention was already on the two mechanics talking to him about R2-D2. He sat down in the cockpit and smiled down at Leia. A crewman walked over to Leia informing her she needed to leave the area as the ships would be taking off soon. She was going to kill her brother when he got back. She huffed and then marched out of the hangar. She had no idea what she would say to her mother.


	12. Chapter 12

Padmé had stayed in the conference room for a while after Mon Mothma left. She sat down in one of the empty conference chairs. Her mind raced. She thought about everything. Of losing Obi-Wan on the Death Star and Owen and Beru on Tatooine.

She thought of Anakin, of her Anakin. She took a deep breath as she recalled one of their secret rendezvous in a shaded corner in the halls of the Senate. She recalled his passionate kisses and her own joy and love of being in his arms. Yet then her mind went back to Mustafar. She recalled Anakin's angry shouts, his raising hand, and her choking.

Padmé found her hands once again going up to her throat. Her breathing was short and uneven. She leaned back in the chair and took in several deep steadying breaths.  _Yes_ , she thought,  _I may not have done what was best for the galaxy, but I did what was best for my children._

Darth Vader would have never ceased to hunt them down if he knew Padmé and the children lived. Her mind went to all the horrors Darth Vader had committed in the name of the Emperor. For the most part, her children grew up happy and healthy. They hadn't lived in fear, running from one system to the next as Imperials or worst hunted them down.

Padmé had finally calmed down. She got up and left the conference room and returned to the hangar. She was surprised to find it mostly empty. The many fighter ships were gone as well as the  _Millennium Falcon_. Padmé couldn't help but glance around, but she knew she wouldn't find Luke or Leia there. Fear was creeping up inside of her. She turned and hastily made her way back into the base. She could feel a cold sweat forming.

The fear only got worse as she asked around. The Rebel Alliance was going into battle as the Death Star had entered the system. It would be entering firing range of the moon shortly. No one knew where Luke and Leia were. Most staff and officers were annoyed by Padmé's questions and pleading. They didn't have time to help this lost woman in the heat of a battle.

Eventually Padmé found herself in the command room from following the flow of officers as they rushed around the base. The room was dark and mainly lit by the many displays and screens. Individuals set at display stations on the edge of the room looking over battle data, while the commanders stood in the center room around a large round glowing circular display table. Winter Organa was amongst the individuals. Padmé was surprised, yet relieved, to see Leia standing next to her.

Padmé walked over to her daughter. Leia was listening to the calls of the battle and watching the crew update the displays. She hadn't noticed her mother until Padmé placed her hand on Leia's arm. Leia whipped around in surprise.

"Mom!" she said.

"Where's Luke?" Padmé asked. Leia quickly looked hesitant.

Padmé heard through the com. "Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up. We're going in. We're going in full throttle." Padmé snapped her head towards the displays.  _Was that Luke's voice?_  she asked herself.

"Right with you, boss," another pilot said through the com.

Then another added, "Luke, at that speed will you be able to pull out in time?"

This time Padmé clearly recognized her son's voice. "It'll be just like Beggar's Canyon back home."

Padmé let out a soft cry. The fear was smothering her instantly. She felt numb and could no longer feel her limbs. Her heart ached in pain as if it was being stabbed by needles.

"Mom?" Leia asked. Padmé became aware of her daughter. Leia had grabbed her mother's arms. She looked deeply concerned.

"He's out there isn't he?" Padmé asked. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Leia nodded.

"Mom, he's a good a pilot. He'll be ok," Leia said in an effort to comfort her mother. Padmé only gave a soft nod. The two turned their attention back to the battle.

"It's a TIE Advanced x1 starfighter," someone in the room said.

Another voice gravely replied, "Vader." A few curses were heard around the room.

"Should we tell the pilots?" a man said wearing a headset. One of the commanders standing near the large circular display table shook his head.

"They either know already," the commander said, "or it's best not to know. Vader is a one man army. He can change the whole tide of a battle. We need them focused out there on getting that shot."

Padmé didn't hear the rest. Her ears were ringing. Her legs sagged and could feel Leia wrapping her arms around Padmé to help support her. A part of her could hear Leia asking Padmé if she was all right, but Padmé couldn't speak.

The sound of Luke's name by one of the men in the room brought Padmé back into awareness.

"His computer's off. Luke, you switched off your targeting computer. What's wrong?"

Luke's voice came over the speaker. Padmé's heart squeezed at the sound. "Nothing. I'm all right."

"The Advanced Tie is on Red-Five's tail," one voice in the room said aloud.

"That's Luke," Leia said in a whisper to Padmé.

Darth Vader was hunting down his own son. Padmé let out a small cry. She had no way of stopping any of this. Everything she had ever feared was happening, and she couldn't do anything but stand here. Out in the reaches of space her son was being shot at by his own father. She wondered if Anakin knew he was trying to kill his own son. Would the Force tell him? Padmé didn't know.

Padmé sank to the ground in the command room. No one seemed to paying attention to her, except Leia. Her head kept going back to her mother to the display boards. Alarms were blaring as it signaled the Death Star was in sight of the base. Padmé wasn't even listening to the reports of the battle any more. Her thoughts solely on her son.

A million scenarios raced through Padmé's mind. Luke being shot at, his fighter exploding, while Vader's own fighter tore through the flame and wreckage. Vader's fighter exploding. Luke's fighter getting shot and spiralling out of control. Luke's fighter crashing into the Death Star.

"It's Han!" Leia suddenly said. Padmé looked up at her daughter. Her vision was all bleary through tears forming in her eyes. Padmé pushed herself to stand back up.

"You're all clear, kid," the voice of Captain Solo came over the speaker. "Now let's blow this thing and go home!"

 _What did this mean?_ Padmé wondered. She had lost herself for a minute and as such had lost the flow of the battle. The others in the room seem to be hopeful. They had straightened up, fire relit in their eyes, and a few had small smiles on their faces. Had Darth Vader been shot down?

Another stab of pain entered Padmé's heart. Surely such a thought would make her happy, not sad. The death of Darth Vader would solve a lot of Padmé's problems and fears. Hadn't she wished for the man to die repeatedly over the past nineteen years? That somewhere along the way he would face an enemy that would take him down? A heroic squad of Rebels? A surviving Jedi? In this moment she may be actively witnessing her once-husband's death. Padmé felt nothing but fear and sadness.

"It hit!" someone shouted. The room suddenly erupted with cheers. Yet Padmé stood there frozen. She felt like ice. Frozen. Cold. The safety of her son and fate of the man that used to be her husband unknown to her as she heard the reports say that the Death Star had exploded.


	13. Chapter 13

Padmé rolled over in her bed, pulling the blankets closer to her. The small room was completely dark. Over the past few days her mind kept going over and over the events of the destruction of the Death Star. Her thoughts always narrowed down to one thing: Luke being chased and shot at by Darth Vader. There was no official word on whether or not Vader had survived. The last anyone saw of his fighter, it was spinning out of control away from the battle station before it exploded.

Part of her desperately wished Darth Vader was gone. Vanished into the darkness and depths of space, yet the other part of her knew. Darth Vader wasn't gone. Once he recovered, he would be back to hunt down the Rebel pilot who had escaped him and destroyed the Death Star.

Her mind came back to Obi-Wan Kenobi and their final conversation. "You knew," Padmé whispered to herself in the dark room. "When we were on the Death Star. You knew Ana- Darth Vader was there. When you said goodbye, you knew it was the last time."

Princess Winter had been right when she said Obi-Wan had been a sacrifice, a diversion, so they could make it off the Death Star. He allowed himself to be taken down by Darth Vader so Padmé and the twins could escape. And now . . . and now it felt like Luke was squandering Obi-Wan's sacrifice. Padmé's sacrifice. Everything that she had thrown away for the sake of her children. Her career, her family, and even parts of her identity.

It all had been thrown away in Luke's fatal shot into the Death Star. It was now only a matter of time before Darth Vader put the pieces together and discovered the truth. There would be no place in the galaxy safe for Luke. No place safe for Leia or herself.

Padmé heard the door of the bunk slide open. Footsteps entered and the door shut. The light was turned on in the room. She didn't want Leia there. Or Luke. Or anyone. She wanted to be alone. She didn't want to deal with anything. When she did get up, everything felt like a chore. The food was all tasteless. She was tired after doing simple things like showering. She couldn't focus on any conversations. She felt heavy, her mind fuzzy, and constantly tired. The moment she was out of bed, she wanted to be back in it.

"Mom?" It was Luke. "I know you're awake. I brought you some food." Luke sighed in frustration. It only made Padmé feel worse. She heard Luke moving around and the sound of Luke placing the food container on the table. "Mom . . . Mom I need to talk to you." His voice was stern.

With a bit of rectulance, Padmé sat up. She casted the blankets aside, allowing her legs to drape off the side of the bunk. Her hair was loose and tangled. She looked over at her son. Both twins had quickly stopped wearing their Tatooine farm clothes after the battle. Luke now wore a black v-neck shirt with a yellow-tan jacket. He wore tall black boots over brown pants. His black utility belt carried the lightsaber.

"Mom," Luke said after taking a deep breath. "I'm going to officially join the Alliance." Padmé glanced down at her lap. Silence stretched between the two. "M-mom?" Luke asked hesitantly.

Padmé looked up at her son. It took her a minute before she could finally form the words. Her tongue felt heavy. "How?" she said softly. Luke looked a bit confused by this. Padmé continued, "How could you do this Luke? Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden. How can we stay safe now? How can you?"

"Mom . . ." Luke shifted awkwarded casting his gaze to the side. "I've thought about it. I think this is the best thing I can do. They need help."

Padmé stood up and grabbed Luke's jacket. "I need you, Luke," she pleaded. "I need you to be safe."

"What do you want me to do mom? Hide in here with you?" Luke asked. "I'm more help out there then in here."

"You may be more help to the Alliance, but are you helping yourself?" Padmé asked. "Don't you see what danger you've put yourself in to? You've already faced him once! You only survived because of Captain Solo. Don't think that Darth Vader wouldn't have shot you down. Don't think he'll hesitate if he gets a second shot!"

"What else did you want me to do mom?" Luke said, anger creeping into his voice. "Not take the shot? The Death Star was already in position. It had Yavin in its sight. It was mere minutes of blowing up the moon along with you and Leia!"

"You didn't have to go out there at all!" Padmé shouted.

"Then we all could have blown up together," Luke said a bit darkly. Padmé took a quick step back, letting go of her son's jacket. "Mom . . . mom I didn't mean . . ." he stumbled. The two looked at each other. Brown eyes meeting blue. Silence stretched between them. Both tense, neither looking away.

"You think I don't know that?" Padmé said finally finding the courage to speak out. "You think I haven't gone over it a million times in my head? You think I haven't thought of every scenario possible? I . . . I . . . I was also so scared that I was going to lose you. Lose you to him. I was living a nightmare, Luke. I can't have you go out there again."

Luke stepped up to his mother, once again closing the space between mother and son. He placed a hand on her upper arm. "Mom," he said softly. "It's going to be alright."

Padmé softly shook her head. "No, it won't," she said. The worry and sadness easily came out in her words. "It won't be all right. Not from Vader. I know him, Luke. I knew him as Anakin. I know him as Darth Vader. I have painstakingly followed his career for nineteen years. He won't let this go. He'll take this personally. Against you. It's only a matter of time before Vader learns of your name. Your sister's name. Learns about all of us."

Padmé once again looked down at the floor. She clenched her hands together.

"Maybe he won't find out," Luke offered. Padmé looked at her son. She was painfully aware of how much he looked like his father with those blue eyes. "Find out about you or Leia, I mean. I don't think there is anything I can do to prevent Darth Vader from finding out the identity of the Rebel who shot down the Death Star. But when I registered with the Alliance, I signed up as Luke Skywalker."

"Luke!" Padmé groaned. "Oh why would you do that?"

"Because there is no Luke Skywalker," Luke explained. A sad smile crossed his lips. "There are no records of a Luke Skywalker. No records of his sister or mother. When the Empire digs into my past, they won't find anything."

Padmé wanted to tell her son how naive he was. As if Imperial Intelligence would be fine with just digging through Tatooine's official records. Padmé had no doubt the Imperials would interrogate whoever they could get their hands on to get the information they wanted. Luke had only made it easier for his true identity to be discovered by using the last name Skywalker. The name Lars wasn't that remarkable, but Skywalker was. The moment Vader heard it, he would double or triple his efforts to bring down Luke.

"I'm so sorry I failed you, Luke," Padmé said softly. "I should haven't left you in the hangar. I should have stopped you from going out. I tried so hard for nineteen years to keep you and your sister safe. To stay hidden. Now you're not."

Padmé started to cry, and Luke could only embrace his mother. They stayed like that for a long while, before Luke finally pulled away and looked down at his mother. Her face was red and stained with tears.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Luke said. "But I can't change the past. The best thing I can do for you and Leia is to help the Alliance bring down the Empire. Then we won't have to live in fear anymore."

Padmé clenched her teeth at those words. She found she had accidentally bit the inside of her cheek. She could taste the blood in her mouth. Luke's words echoed what Mon Mothma had told Padmé during their meeting before the battle. Padmé wondered if Mothma had said those words to Luke to get him to join the Alliance. Of course the Alliance would be eager to recruit Luke. He was their golden poster boy hero.

As if sensing her thoughts, Luke said, "I joined the Alliance of my own free will. This is what I want."

"Then you've decided," Padmé said. "Will you kill him?" Padmé straightened up, head held high and looked straight at Luke. "Will you kill Darth Vader? Will you kill your father?"

Luke didn't back down. He held his mother's gaze. It was clear to Padmé he already gone through this question himself. He was prepared for it.

"Yes," Luke said without hesitation. "I have to end this."


	14. Chapter 14

Padmé stood in front of a viewport on  _Home One_. Several other ships of the Alliance's fleet sailed nearby, but beyond that, stood the endless expanse of space. She couldn't help but find peace in the stars. It had been decades since she had last been in space. She missed its soothing beauty and the deep solace it brought her.

She sighed as she stepped away from the viewport and made her way back into the corridors of the ship. It had been a few weeks since the Battle of Yavin. The Alliance had left the moon behind and was now located in space amongst the fleet. Rumor had it they were looking for a new planet-side base of operations. The day before Padmé had received a message from Mon Mothma setting up a meeting for the two. Padmé was in no hurry to meet with Mon and was already a half an hour late by the time she reached Mon's office.

It was larger than Padmé's small bunk by three times. The room was mainly in shades of white and light gray. Mon sat at her desk and still looked the same. She still wore her traditional white Chandrilian robes and draping silver chains across her chest. Besides the large desk in the back, which was littered with datapads, the room also held a small circular table with two chairs to the side and a large circular holoprojector in the center of the room.

"Ms. Lars," Mon greeted. "Welcome." She stood and walked over to Padmé.

"Mon," Padmé replied tersely. Mon stopped in front of Padmé and clasped her hands behind her back.

"I called you here to keep my end of the promise I made to you when we met on Yavin IV," Mon explained. "I'm sorry it's taken a bit longer than expected, but the safety of relocating the Alliance into space was a priority." She paused. Padmé clenched her hands but said nothing. "I've finally found some time to find a place for you to relocate."

Padmé felt a small bit of tension leave her body.  _Finally_ , she thought. The thought of leaving the spaceship and leaving the Alliance behind eased her thoughts. Mon walked over to the large holoprojector. She turned it on, the lights in the room dimmed, and quickly a three-dimensional view of a portion of the galaxy sprung up.

Mon continued to explain, "Originally, I thought it wouldn't be that hard to find a place for you to go. However, due to your son's recently gained notoriety with the Empire, I had to give your situation more thought."

Padmé bit the inside of her lip. She held back her real thoughts on the matter about Luke's fame. She understood that she couldn't change the past. She could only move forward. That meant she had to let Luke live the life he had chosen with the Alliance. Yet, there was still a small sliver of hope alive within her. Padmé could still take Leia and herself into hiding. She could still protect her daughter as best she could.

"Being stationed at such a small base would be the best option. Don't you think?" Mon asked. Padmé realized Mon had continued to talk while Padmé had gotten lost in her own thoughts. She cursed at herself. The large hologram projector now displayed a green and brown planet with two small moons. Padmé did not recognize it.

Mon sighed. "Mae, the bounty on Luke is already very high. I suspect it will get higher once the Empire learns his name and possibly gets a good shot at his face to plaster all over the holonet. Right now they don't dare put it too high to prevent every bounty hunter trying to cash in with claims that they captured the pilot who shot down the Death Star. I have no doubts that as we speak Imperial Intelligence is digging for whatever information that can get on Luke. I also have no doubts there are spies amongst the Rebellion. The last thing I want is for the Empire to think they can use you to get get at Luke."

 _So it's all about Luke_ , Padmé thought sadly.

"As such I can't justify simply allowing you to just go off without being protected somehow," Mon continued. "This base is small, but decently fortified . . ." Mon continued to describe the base where she wanted Padmé to live. Padmé found herself nodding, but not really listening as Mon talked about the surrounding area.

"I know it's not that enticing," Mon said. "But you know my original offer still stands." Mon paused and turned to face Padmé completely. "You're always welcomed here in the Alliance. Even if won't return to the name Amidala, you could still do great things as Mae Lars. I could use someone with your experience and expertise."

Padmé could only stare at the ground. She knew Mon would make the offer again. But she had to do what was best for her children, or more specifically Leia. She had failed keeping Luke safe, but she could still keep Leia free.

"I'm sorry," Padmé said in an almost whisper. "I can't accept."

Mon let out a small irritated huff. "I figured as much," Mon said turning back to the projector. Padmé felt as if it was also a symbolic gesture of Mon turning her back on Padmé, her once-friend and collaborator. "I've arranged a transport to Bacrana for you under the name Orina Valen. Once there you'll catch another transport-"

"Wait," Padmé interrupted. "What about Leia?"

"What about Leia?" Mon asked.

"You've only talked about me. What name will Leia be traveling under?" Padmé inquired.

Mon Mothma looked confused at first. Then she furrowed her brows a bit in frustration. "I see," Mon said slowly. "I had assumed you were informed, especially by now." Padmé felt her pulse quicken. A cold tingling sensation crept up her spine. "Leia has joined the Alliance."


	15. Chapter 15

"Leia has joined the Alliance," Mon Mothma told Padmé. The two stood in Mon's office in front of the large circular holoprojector. The holo of the green and brown planet still slowly spun.

"What?" Padmé gasped. Mon stayed quiet. "When? How? Why did you let her do such a thing?"

"Leia, like her brother, has reached the age of responsibility. She does not need her mother's consent to join the Alliance," Mon explained.

"That is the Chandrilian age!" Padmé argued. "On Naboo it is twenty-one."

"And yet the Naboo allow queens as young as thirteen to rule them," Mon said with a wave of a hand directed at Padmé. "Regardless this is not Naboo."

"Nor is it Chandrila," Padmé pointed out. "Does the Alliance even have an official age of responsibility? Or do you just accept any youth regardless of age?"

"Spoken like a true diplomat. I'm glad to see the old Padmé Amidala isn't completely dead. Regardless, I'm not here to argue about this. Leia officially and  _legally_  joined the Alliance of her own free will. You are here because you requested aid to hide from the Empire, and I am offering that to you. Do you accept it or not?"

"I will accept it, after I speak with my daughter," Padmé said. She could feel her cheeks start to grow warmer as her irritation with Mon grew.

"She left on a mission a few hours ago," Mon said while taking a careful look at Padmé. Padmé's eyes widen in surprise at this news. "I can see you weren't informed about that either."

"What mission?" Padmé asked.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you," Mon said a bit dryly. "But for what it's worth, Luke is also on the same mission."

"I- I-" Padmé stuttered as her thoughts went a hundred different ways. "Excuse me," she finally managed to say.

She turned and hurried out of the office without a second glance back at Mon. She kept a brisk pace as she hurried through  _Home One_. She felt betrayed Leia hadn't told her mother she joined the Alliance. She was surprised and angry that neither one of her children had told her they were going on a mission.

Padmé thought about to the last time she saw her children, which was the previous evening meal.  _Had they acted differently?_  Padmé wondered. But the details were blurry. Padmé had been uninterested in the food as usual. She barely looked at her children. Padmé grew angry at herself. If she hadn't been wallowing in her own thoughts, she might have noticed something earlier.

She came to the hangar she knew the  _Millennium Falcon_  was stored. If Mon couldn't give her answers about Leia's whereabouts, perhaps Captain Solo could. His name did come up frequently during the meals from one twin or another. It appeared both children had befriended the smuggler. She glanced amongst the various ships looking for the derelict-looking freighter, but saw no sight of it. She stopped a mechanic.

"Is the _Millennium Falcon_ in this hangar?" she asked.

"No," the mechanic replied, "It left a few hours ago."

The mechanic continued on his way. Padmé just stood there for a moment. Her thoughts and emotions a whirlwind inside of her. She barely felt like she was in control of herself as she left the hangar and started to walk absentmindedly through the corridors. She came to a corridor that had a long thin window of space. Padmé stopped and stared out into the stares.

 _They are a brilliant light. Look at them. Neither you or I will be able to hold back such light forever._ Obi-Wan had spoken the words to Padmé when it was decided they would tell the twins the truth about their father. Padmé couldn't stop the pain in her heart she felt thinking back on the Jedi and his death. She wondered what Obi-Wan would do in this situation. Probably let the twins go. Padmé knew Obi-Wan and Yoda had placed their hopes onto the twins to bring down the Sith. Yet, Padmé had never allowed Obi-Wan to train either of her children. The fear they would turn into Darth Vader was too strong. She couldn't lose them like she lost Anakin.

Yet she questioned if she had done the right thing. Both her children were out there, amongst the stars, without her. If they had been trained, would Padmé feel better? Would they be safer? More prepared for what was to come?

_Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._

Padmé's mantra came to mind suddenly. She found herself getting angry at the words she used to find such peace and solace in. The mantra had served her so well, but in the end it didn't matter. None of it had helped. Now the Empire had a bounty on her son's head. Her husband was most likely leading the hunt for Luke. Leia was off most likely with that smuggler.

 _Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden. Isn't that what I wanted to keep doing? Isn't that what Mon offered me? What am I going to do?_ Padmé asked herself as she thought back to Mon's offer to go back into hiding. Yet this time she would be going alone. The twins would stay here.

 _Why?_ She asked herself.  _Why go back into hiding?_  If the twins weren't going to stay hidden, why should she? She had faked her death. Let her family think she was dead for almost two decades. For what? So she could protect her children.

 _Am I really protecting them if I go back into hiding?_  Padmé immediately knew the answer. She took another look at the stars. She turned and made her way calmly through the ship. Her head was held high with newfound determination and purpose. She didn't realize that for the first time in weeks, her mind no longer felt fuzzy. She no longer felt heavy and tired.

She was let back into Mon Mothma's office. The ex-senator sat at her desk working. The large holoprojector was off. Mothma didn't say anything, but just glanced up at Padmé. Padmé didn't waste any time.

"Your offer still stands?" Padmé asked as she walked over to stand in front of the desk. There was no hesitation. The woman who had meekly stood in the office a mere hour before was no longer. Mon took a long moment to study Padmé. Then Mon smiled and nodded. "Then I would like to officially join the Alliance to Restore the Republic," Padmé said.

"I had hoped you would reach that conclusion eventually," Mon said. She shifted through the datapads on her desk.

"But I have two conditions," Padmé said. Mon stopped and looked at the other. "I'm joining as Mae Lars and not Padmé Amidala. I will not use my old name or influence." Mon nodded in agreement. "Secondly, I would like to be informed and kept up-to-date of the missions of my children, Luke and Leia. I just want to know where they are, Mon. I need to know they're safe. I'm not asking nor do I really deserve any type of command, but as a mother I just need to need to know what they are doing."

Another moment of quiet stretched between the two women as Mon thought. Finally she said, "I can't promise to give you information on every mission, especially for Luke. It may be classified. You'll have to earn the proper rank to get access to such information. But when it is deemed appropriate, I will see that you are informed about your children."

Padmé sighed in relief. Her shoulders relaxed. "I suppose that is as much as I can expect," Padmé said softly.

Mon offered Padmé a datapad. Padmé accepted and looked at it. It was an application to the join the Alliance. Already her name, Mae Lars, was filled out. Mon had only simply handed the pad, without typing anything onto it. That meant her name was already filled out when Mon handed it to Padmé. Mon had been prepared. Padmé wasn't sure what to think about that. She tucked the thought away as she officially became a Rebel.


	16. Chapter 16

Leia let out a long breath. She stared up at the dull grey of the durasteel above the bunk in the crew quarters of the  _Millennium Falcon_. As she pushed the breath out, she tried to imagine pushing out her feelings.

Ben's voice echoed in her memories.  _"Just let your feelings go."_

Three years ago, she had come to him a few days after he and her mother had revealed the truth about her father. The first few days after learning the truth, Leia was just simply processing it all. Leia and Luke took comfort in each other, often sitting in one of their rooms, talking late into the night.

"I can see why I won't be able to attend the academy now," Luke had said softly. "And you won't be able to go attend a university."

Leia had wanted to travel and attend school at a university. She had started to learn different languages form her mother, in hopes of helping her with her translating job. She could use those skills as a springboard and go into language or cultural studies. She had even debated possibly stepping into politics, especially when it came to trade regulations, taxes, and laws. Having heard her mother complain and explain her jobs, Leia was aware of trade laws, the legal and nonlegal variety. Leia had a decent idea of what laws and regulations worked and which didn't.

Hours after Luke left that night, Leia laid awake staring at the sandstone ceiling. She hadn't thought that about how the truth about her father affected her future. She would never be able to go to university now. The thought angered her. She couldn't get rid of the anxiety and frustration over the next two days. So one night she took her mother's speeder and went to visit Ben. She felt she had no one to turn to. Her mother was too pained from all the questions of the past. Luke was in his own thoughts. There was no good in turning to Aunt Beru or Uncle Owen.

Ben had welcomed her into his small isolated hut. He sat quietly and listened to Leia rant about it all. Then he told her to come sit on the floor with him. He told her to close her eyes and just to reach out and simply just feel.

"Take a deep breath," Ben said in soothing voice. "Then just let your feelings go." The two sat there for a while. Just sitting with their eyes closed in the quiet of the night. When Leia returned back to the Lars Farm that night, she felt much better. She slept well for the first time in days. Now on the  _Millennium Falcon_  she was trying to do the same thing. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then pushed it out. Yet when she opened her eyes and examined her feelings, she still felt annoyed and frustrated.

Footsteps clanged in the hallway as someone approached. Leia, still looking up at the ceiling, heard the door of the quarters swish open. "Done with your temper tantrum, Princess?" Han Solo asked. Leia lifted her head to see him leaning against the door post. He wore his usual spacer fare, complete with his crooked smile. Leia sat upright on the bunk. Han had started calling Leia princess after Winter Organa had loaned Leia some clothes.

Leia wore a white well-fitted jumpsuit. She wore a tan leather vest, gloves, and tall boots. She also sported a dark utility belt with a blaster holster. Instead of braids pulled back into a loose bun, Leia now wore her hair in a tight braid often wrapped around the back of her head. When Han first saw her in the clothes, he said that Winter and Leia looked more like actual twins than Leia and Luke.

"Sorry . . . " Leia mumbled as she sat upright on the bed. "I just needed to get away."

"Oh I get it," Han said as he stepped into the room. Leia shot him a look that said 'Do you really?' Han replied, "I do! You joined the Rebellion to do some good. To take action, like your brother. But it's hard being in that kid's shadow."

"It's like the Death Star all over again," Leia said. "I'm stuck hiding on the ship."

"You could always go back," Han offered. Leia glared at him. "Hey, look, this is no easy mission. It's going to be quiet dangerous."

"Did you say those same things to Luke?" Leia couldn't help but ask. It was clear from Han's expression that he hadn't. A loud irritated sigh escaped Leia. "It's because everyone thinks he's a Jedi."

"I don't know about all that Force stuff," Han slightly grumbled. "But the kid's a good pilot."

"Yes, he is a good pilot. That is why he should stay with the ship," Leia said. Han had been in the hold earlier. He had already heard Leia's argument with Winter over the assigned jobs for their mission.

The Alliance had received intelligence that the Empire was going to enter into negotiations with Jabba the Hutt over supplying raw materials to Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon 1. It appeared the Empire was desperate for resources after the loss of the Death Star. The Alliance was intercepting Jabba's real envoy. The  _Falcon_ was on its way to rendezvous with the Rebel agents who held the envoy's ship.

Han, with a history of working for Jabba, would act as the envoy once on Cymoon 1 with Winter and Luke disguised as bodyguards. Chewbacca was to be on lookout. R2 would accompany the team into the factory, while Leia and C-3PO stayed on board the hidden  _Falcon_. Leia had protested to Winter over these arrangements. Han was needed due to his own history with Jabba. Winter due to her holographic memory had memorized the layout of the factory. Leia wasn't any good with a sniper, and as such couldn't take Chewbacca's position.

That left Luke. He would be better served on board the  _Falcon_ , as he could quickly pilot it in case the team needed a quick pickup. Luke's spot on the team was the only position Leia could argue against. Leia had been expecting the same argument from the Death Star. Luke was a decent mechanic, and knew his way around machines. As such he'd be more help during the mission inside the factory, but that hadn't come up. Instead Winter just repeated that she as the commanding officer of this mission had made the  _final_  decision. Leia could return back to  _Home One_  with the Alliance agents once they got to the rendezvous point if she wanted to be off the mission.

Han sighed. "We should be coming up to the rendezvous point soon. You'll need to make up your mind soon whether you want to go through with the mission or go back." He shot her one last glance, before he left her alone with her thoughts alone in the crew quarters.

Leia already knew she was going to go through with the mission, regardless of the assigned job. She wasn't going to back to the Alliance fleet without completing the mission. She wouldn't be able to face her mother. She had already withheld the truth from her mother about joining the Alliance along with the fact she had left on a mission. Surely by now Leia's mom had figured it out. Cold guilt slinked around inside her while her she imagined her mother laying on her bunk on  _Home One_ all alone.

Leia tried to push that image and the guilt away. She had joined the Rebel Alliance to do something. Anything. She didn't know what to do with herself. Before she had secretly held onto the thought that one day she would still get off Tatooine and do something. She would find a way to go to a university, or at least do something meaningful with her life instead of simply scraping by as a translator or moisture farmer. Now Leia found herself a member of the Rebel Alliance. A branded traitor amongst the Empire. Granted if the Empire discovered her parental history, she could be labeled as much worse.

Unlike their mother, Luke hadn't shied away from becoming a member of the Alliance. He had talked to Leia about how he wanted to be a Jedi, like Ben had. The Alliance was all too eager to welcome Luke as a Jedi. He was given command on his own X-Wing unit. A lot of responsibility was already thrown at him, to the point where Leia couldn't even share his last name, their last name, so Leia wouldn't be targeted due to association. Partly it had been on the advice of Alliance High Command. It would be better, they had said, and safer for Leia if she kept the last name Lars. While Leia could see the logic, it still annoyed her.

Leia's mind lately kept coming back to her father's lightsaber, the one Luke now kept clipped to his belt at all times. Ben had given it to Luke. Leia thought back to when she had just left Tatooine. She had entered the hull of the  _Falcon_ to see Luke practicing with the saber while Ben looked on. After Luke had successfully deflected a shot from the training seeker, Ben offered that Leia try. She still recalled Luke handing out the saber hilt toward her. She had hesitated in taking it. Since then Luke had never offered her the lightsaber again. It never came up that Leia should try to use it.

What if she asked Luke now about using the saber? Would he let her train? Why did it matter what Luke would allow her to do or not? Could she or should she attempt in using the lightsaber? In using the Force? Did Leia want to become a Jedi, like her brother? Like Ben? Like her father?


	17. Chapter 17

The alarms in Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon 1 were blaring. Lights flashed red throughout the corridors. Luke had backed down a quiet hallway. No red lights, no alarms blaring here. Just the square grey durasteel walls. He hadn't followed Han, Winter, and the freed slaves. Something was pulling him in this direction. He pulled out his lightsaber. His father's old saber.

_Luke . . ._

"Ben?" Luke called out. It sounded just like the old Jedi's voice. He kept walking down the corridor. "Ben, is that you?" No response. Luke could feel something. It was something . . . more. The Force. It felt heavy and dark. He had only felt it once before, back when he was flying above the Death Star.

"Ben, he's here. Darth Vader. My father. The man who killed you. Tried to kill Mom. I have to face him. I have to end this." Luke stopped and activated the saber. A blue beam shot forth. The pressure in the Force was building.

 _Luke . . ._ the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi whispered through the Force.  _Listen to me carefully . . ._

The door at the end of the corridor opened to reveal Darth Vader, his red lightsaber already lit. He wore his black armor and suit with the black caping trailing behind.

Ben's voice came again, more urgent.  _Run._

Luke had always imagined what it would be like to finally face his father. To face Darth Vader. Luke had spent hours staring at paused holographs from the holonet of Darth Vader. He examined the man as much as he could. Luke didn't know what his father had looked like before the mask, when his father was still Anakin Skywalker. His mother and Ben often said Luke looked like his father, especially when his father was young.

Luke couldn't help the fear rushing through him. The sound of his pounding heart mixed with the sound of Vader's mechanical breathing. Darth Vader was much more than anything Luke had expected. He was huge, towering over Luke. Vader's presence in the Force was like a dark maelstrom, swirling viciously in the Force. It felt like if Luke wasn't careful, he would be sucked into that maelstrom.

 _I have to do this_ , he told himself. His mother and Leia would never be safe as long as Vader lived. Luke brought up his saber. He adjusted his grip as hands were starting to get a bit sweaty.

"You hold that weapon like an untrained child," the deep mechanical voice of Darth Vader said. Luke felt a wave of chills wash over him. "You boy, are  _no_ Jedi." Yet, Luke held his ground. He  _had_  to do this. He  _had_  to end this. He couldn't back done. "Who  _are_ you?" Vader asked.

Luke didn't know how to answer. Part of him just want to scream out,  _Your son!_ Yet, luckily, he didn't. "You tried to kill my  _mother_!" Luke shouted instead. "You took away my  _father_!"

"I've killed very many fathers," Vader replied unphased. "You'll have to be more specific."

Luke didn't dare correct Vader on the misconception. Luke thought back to his mother when he told her he was joining the Alliance. He remembered embracing her while she cried. Cried that her son would face  _this_ monster. The monster that had consumed the man that Luke's mother once loved. The monster that was now the deadly enforcer of the Empire, cutting down and destroying all who stood in its way.

Luke let out a shout and swung out his saber. Vader easily met it with his own saber and knocked Luke's saber off to the side. Luke stumbled a few steps forward and fell off balance. He took a few shaky steps as he got his feet back under him. He regained his balance and turned back towards Vader.

He steadied himself and stared down Vader, but Vader's blade was lowered. He casually walked forward. He wasn't even pretending to put up a defense. "This is most pathetic," Vader said. "You are not worth the seconds it would take to finish you. Who sent you to die like this?"

"I was there, on the Death Star," Luke spat out. "I saw what you did to him. You killed Master Kenobi! And now I'm here to make sure you-"

The lightsaber suddenly flew out of Luke's hands. "No!" he shouted reaching out for it. The saber, still activated, landed in Vader's hands. The dark lord never took his eyes off Luke.

"So . . ." Vader said. "Obi-Wan Kenobi gave you this lightsaber. A shame he did not teach you how to wield it. He never did make for much of a master." Vader brought the blue saber up.

"How did you . . ." Luke said not understanding how the saber had  _flown_ out of his hands.

"The Force will never be with you, boy," Vader said taking a step closer to Luke. "Your master has fallen. What hope have you? If you wish to live, you will tell me all you know of the Rebellion. Including the nature of this attack. And then you will lead me to rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star. And watch as I strike him down."

Again Vader stepped closer, bringing up his own red saber to match the blue. Vader's arms were crossed, and each arm was ready to bring down both sabers. Luke lowered himself into a crouch. He was ready to move at a moment's notice. Vader continued, "Speak quickly, or join your father."

A streak of cold tingled and ran up along Luke's spine. Luke could tell the truth to Vader. Would it postpone his inevitable death? Would it only bring it that much faster? Or would he be spared? Dragged away, tortured to reveal his mother and sister. "I'd rather die than yield to you," Luke said.

"So be it," Darth Vader said as he tensed. His arms bringing the sabers up high to strike. "Wait . ." the deep baritone voice said. "This lightsaber . . ." Vader lowered the sabers. He looked intently at the blue one in his left hand. The lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker. "I  _know_ this weapon. This once belonged to-"

The ceiling above the two exploded apart. Durasteel and debri showered down. Luke dove to the side to avoid being hit.

"Watch out, kid," a voice said from a speaker. "This thing handles like a drunken bantha."

"Han?!" Luke called out. Through the debri smoke, Luke could clearly see a large mechanical foot and leg. Luke followed it up to see the hulking form of an AT-AT.

"I"m clearing us a path outta here, Luke," Han called from inside the AT-AT. "You and the rest of your friends follow me!"

Luke got to his feet. The walker had opened a hole into a larger room in the factory. Smoke filled the air and debris fell from the broken walls and roof. Stormtroopers were pouring into the room from an entrance opposite of the walker. Luke noticed behind the walker, were the slaves he had freed when he first got to the factory. They were rallying. Some held makeshift weapons and were attacking the troopers.

"Death to the empire!" one Mon Calamari slave shouted as he grabbed a trooper by the neck from behind. He held up a sharpened piece of metal as a makeshift sword and brought it down on the soft spot in the neck of the trooper. Luke used the confusion to his advantage. He approached the closest trooper, whose attention was on the walker and the slaves. He punched the trooper in the helmet. The trooper fell over, and Luke picked up the trooper's fallen blaster. He didn't wait to see if the man would get back up.

"This way!" he shouted to the slaves. "Follow the walker! And keep away from- Vader!"

Suddenly a blue light flashed through the smoke. Luke watched as his father's lightsaber sliced right into the chest of the Mon Calamari slave. The blade easily slid through the body, exiting through the back side.

"No!" Luke called out. He could feel the hairs on his arm stand on end. His breath felt short and painful. Darth Vader appeared out from the smoke wielding his red lightsaber. He easily cut down the slaves who stood in his path. The slaves cries were short as their bodies fell.

"All stormtroopers, report to my position at once," Vader ordered calmly. "We have the rebels cornered." Vader brought up his left hand towards some slaves. Several slaves fell to their knees, grasping at their throats.

Cold completely swept through Luke. He had seen his mother bring her hands up to her throat like that before. Often when she thought of her husband. Not of her husband, but of Darth Vader.  _That was how he tried to kill her_ , Luke thought. He had to end this. He knelt down next to the body of the Mon Calamari to retrieve his still activated lightsaber.

"No one else dies because of  _him_. I don't care what happens to me," Luke said to himself. "Help me, Ben. Please . . ." Luke's hand was almost to the hilt of the saber, but suddenly the saber flew hilt first away and towards Vader. Yet the lightsaber stopped, rising up in the air in front of Vader and his outstretched hand. Stormtroopers appeared in the smoke behind him.

"Kill them all," he ordered to the troopers. "Or you will answer to me." The troopers opened fire on the slaves. The slaves held no chance with their makeshift weapons and few commandeered blasters. They quickly fell to the fire. The bodies were starting to pile up. The smell of burnt skin and bloth and spent blaster bolts filled the air.

Luke still crouched next to the dead Mon Calamari cried out, "Oh, Ben. What have I done?"

He had only wanted to help. He didn't want any more innocents to die because of his actions. There had been a guilt that was lingering in him since the Death Star. He was aware he had caused thousands if not millions of deaths with his one shot. He knew it was what had to be done, but he swore to himself he would try to avoid killing innocents as much as possible. As such he couldn't leave the slaves to die in the factory when he found them. The Alliance's mission was to blow the factory up, so Luke had freed them. Now they were being slaughtered in front of him.

Yet Luke didn't have time to dwell on such thoughts. Quickly the troopers turned towards him. He brought up his stolen blaster and fired back at the troopers. He ran while shooting back, and ducked behind some metal crates. Sparks sprayed around him as the blaster bolts hit the sides of the crates. Two other slaves took cover behind the crates. A third slave was making its way with a blaster to their hiding spot.

"Stay down!" Luke ordered them. "We'll figure a way out of this!" He positioned himself so he was aiming over the crates to give the slave cover. Yet before the slave could make it to the safety of the crates, the blue lightsaber flew and sliced through the slave.

Luke slunk down along the crates. He couldn't help these slaves. His eyes traveled to the body of the recently fallen slave. "This is my fault, Ben," Luke said softly to himself. "I'm not you. I'm not a Jedi. I'm just . . . some stupid farm boy from Tatooine. I don't belong here. I don't . . ."

He had made the situation worse. The slaves were slowly being killed off. If Luke hadn't freed them, they would still be alive. He wasn't some savior, a Jedi . . . His eyes traveled beyond the slave's body. Beyond the body laid a row of speeder bikes.

"Yeah," Luke said with an idea forming in his head and renewed confidence. "I'm a farm boy, all right. A farm boy who can bullseye womp rats." He ran over to the closest bike and jumped on. It started up quickly. He steered it toward the crates.

Beyond the crates stood Darth Vader with his stormtroopers. He held both lightsabers, red and blue. Slave bodies were scattered all around. Luke had finally seen first hand the destruction and carnage his father was capable of. He had to stop him. He pulled the trigger of the bike's gun. Red bolts blasted into the troopers, but yet Darth Vader was untouched. It was if the bolts' paths bent around the towering monster. Luke sped past Vader, shooting down the rest of the troopers.

Luke took the bike out the factory through the large hole created by the walker, which was making its way to Darth Vader. One large foot slammed near the dark lord. Then the scene was out of Luke's sight as he sped away through the other factory buildings and trash and scrap heaps. Luke arched his bike to circle back to the factory. Again he could see the large warehouse room where the AT-AT was. Suddenly large red blaster fire erupted from the walker and completely filled the warehouse. As the fire stopped, the walker started to move out of the factory.

"No word from Chewie or Threepio," Han said over the comlink. "Luke, please tell me you're still with us."

"On my way, Han," Luke replied. "Just need to pick something up."

Luke steered the bike back into the factory. He knew right where to go. Something was pulling him. There in the rubble, sitting unharmed, was a Luke's deactivated lightsaber. He leaned the bike over to its side while speeding on. He grabbed the saber hilt and steered the bike back out of the factory. He did a quick glance around the ruined and smoking ruins of the factory.

"No sign of Vader. Let's move out," Luke said over the com.

"I don't think we'll be seeing any more of Vader, Kid," Han replied. "Not after what we just did to him."

"I wish I could believe that . . . but you don't know the power of the Force." Luke could still feel his father's dark, swirling presence in the Force. The swirling had grown faster, stronger, angrier. No Darth Vader was not dead.


	18. Chapter 18

"I wish I could believe that . . . but you don't know the power of the Force." Luke said over the com.

Winter glanced over at Han. He rolled his eyes at Luke's comment. Han sat in the main-pilot's seat of the AT-AT Imperial walker he had commandeered from Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon 1. Winter sat in the secondary pilot's chair to the right of Han. The walker took a another lurching step. She wasn't sure how the Imperials who piloted these beasts were able to keep their lunches down. The lurching movement of the machine rocked her back and forth.

The walker was making its slow way through the buildings of the weapons factory. Winter could just make out the piles and hills of scrap and junk of the trash fields directly beyond the factory. That was where the  _Millenium Falcon_  was hidden with Leia and C-3PO on board. However, they weren't making their way over to pick up the slightly stranded group in the walker. C-3PO had reported the ship was being attacked by trash scavengers.

A beeping and whistling sound came from behind Winter. She turned to see R2-D2. The small cockpit cabin of the walker was a mess. Metal paneling had been thrown lose and knocked around. Exposed wires hung from the ceiling and popped out of the wall. Two small Jawas were moving about desperately trying to keep the walker moving.

Winter secretly hoped that Han was right, that the shots from the walker's cannons had brought down Darth Vader. Their brief interaction with the beast had caused much of the internal destruction of the walker. Winter knew it was the force. Vader was trying to destroy the walker from the inside out. Han didn't believe in the Force, which had been made clear as he repeatedly shouted as such as the cockpit rocked and white-blue sparks flew when Vader had attacked.

"Looks like Artoo got the rest of the guns up," Han said snapping Winter out of her thoughts. He didn't need say anymore. The secondary pilot generally acted as the gunner, so Winter took up the position. She brought the guns and the targeting system online. The walker's guns were not the easiest to use. The recoil jolted the whole cockpit and caused a bit of delay when shooting off another volley. However she did managed to bring down one of the TIE fighters.

"Nice shooting, for a princess," Han commented. "But keep your eyes down on the road. If they block us in, we're in trouble. I'd hate to have to drive this thing reverse."

"Just get us to those trash fields, and we may yet get out of here," Winter snapped back. "Hopefully that ship of yours is in one piece."

"That ship has gotten me out of tougher spots than this," Han said defensively. "It's the droid we oughta be worried about. Still no word from that useless rust sack, C-3PO."

True Winter was worried about the droid, but she was also worried about Leia. Somehow they were short a commlink when it came time to separate into the two teams: the infiltration team and the ship team. As such Leia and C-3PO were going to have to share a com, but their job wasn't seen as high risk. Yet now Winter and Han desperately needed the  _Falcon_. They needed to get out of the walker, out of the factory buildings, and off the moon.

Chewbacca's roar came over the com.

"Chewie!" Han shouted excitedly. "I knew you weren't dead, you old furball! Get the  _Falcon_ in the air and come get us, Pal. We're headed right for the-"

"Han! Look out!" Winter shouted.

Around the building to their left came a whole armada of small assault vehicles, blasters aimed and firing at the walker. Up to at least four or five AT-STs, assault tanks, and combat tanks came to a stop in front of the walker. Winter gripped one hand onto the console, another onto the side of the chair to keep herself steady as the cockpit trashed from the onslaught of fire.

Han growled in annoyance. "You think they got another Death Star back there too?"

Winter said as brought her cuff with the comlink back up her mouth. "Luke!"

"Luke, we're taking heavy fire here, kid!" Han joined Winter over the com. "At this rate, we're never gonna make it. Where are you?"

"Oh not too far away," Luke's voice said.

"We need some cover from all this fire!" Winter ordered. A large tremor shook the walker. Warm lights of an explosion below them reflected into the cockpit. Warning lights blinked in on the control panel and an alarm in the cockpit went off. Winter looked over at the display. One of the legs had been hit.

"I'm hurrying!" Luke shouted, but his voice seemed muffled due to the sounds of fire and explosions.

"Don't get too close to that factory, Luke," Han called. "That whole thing's gonna explode any second now."

"No," Winter said. "It's been too long. The reactor should have overloaded by now. They must have stopped the meltdown!"

"Great. So we did all this for nothing. Terrific," Han mumbled, but he kept pressing the walker on. The various assault vehicles continued to take aim at the walker. The whole thing shook and rattled. Suddenly the whole AT-AT lurched violently. Winter almost fell out of the chair. Her sides hurt as they had slammed into the console in front of her.

"Whoa. What was that?" Han asked glancing at the senors. Winter glanced over at them too.

"We just lost one of the right rear ankle couplings," she said. They wouldn't be able to use that leg anymore. They were trapped.

"Chewie!" Han shouted desperately. "Tell me you're in the air!" The Wookie growled back a reply. "What do you mean you need another day and a half? We'll be dead in five minutes!" Again the walker lurched violently. "There goes another coupling!" Han reported.

Winter stood returning to the headset that allowed her to view underneath the walker. She brought her eyes up to the scope mask. She blinked as red light filled the digital view. "It's Vader!" she shouted in disbelief. Amidst the red glow she could make out the dark form. The monster was using his red lightsaber to hack at the walker's rear foot. "He's right underneath us. I can't reach him with the cannons."

"Vader? How many times do we have to kill that guy before he actually dies?"

"It's Vader, all right," Luke said over the com. "I see him. I'm on my way."

"No, kid stay back," Han barked quickly. "We've taken too much fire. The drive control systems are shot. I'm gonna try to set her down, but it may not be-"

The whole cockpit started rapidly titling to the side. Winter quickly shifted her feet to get under her as she grabbed onto the pilot's chair. Another violent lurch rippled through the walker. Winter's eyes were wide as she looked at Han. The walker was going down.


	19. Chapter 19

 

The mission had gone bad when Darth Vader arrived as the Empire's negotiator for the Hutt's envoy. Leia hadn't quite figured out what had happened in the factory. She herself had been busy fending off alien scavengers who lived in the trash fields outside the factory where the  _Millennium Falcon_ was hidden. The scavengers had started to pick a part the ship and take away pieces. C-3PO had been no help, and it was hard to keep cover while trying to blast the scavengers away. They were crawling all over the ship. It was only when Chewbacca showed up that they were able to secure the  _Falcon_.

Yet Leia couldn't help Chewie with any of the desperately needed repairs to the ship. She had stayed on top of the ship, playing lookout. Looking out for the scavengers, who were had been promptly scared off by the Wookie, and looking out for the rest of the team to return. The only information she had gathered was in snippets of overheard conversation from the Wookie's commlink. All Leia knew was Darth Vader was there and attacking them.

Leia had been relieved when she saw Winter carrying the slouched form of Han Solo on her shoulder in the trash fields. They were both bruised and bloodied. Their clothes torn and burnt. A large group of fleeing slaves had run onto the ship with the princess and the captain. They took off once Luke had limped aboard the ship. The ship amazingly held together and even more surprisingly launched cleanly into hyperspace once clear of the planet.

Now the ship was filled with the slaves, none of which were human. The slaves wore simple clothes and robes. Like Winter and Han, they were also injured and dirty. Many were lying on the ground, nursing their wounds. Some were hugging each other and crying. Leia wove her way through the bodies to where Luke lay in the corridor nearing the loading ramp and the engineering stations. He clutched his side. Like the rest he hadn't escaped unscathed.

"Luke!" Leia cried as she ran up to her brother. His only response was a meek glance at her, before turning his eyes back down. "How injured are you?" she asked. Luke laid against the side of a corridor. He adjusted himself, but his movements were laced with pain.

It was then Leia realized she wasn't feeling Luke's feelings. Their twin connection let the two feel each other's emotions, but it was possible to block it. It generally required a bit of mental effort. Leia wondered if Luke was purposely blocking her out right now, and questioned why would he.

"I'll go see what medical supplies I can find," Leia said. Leia left her brother slumped on the floor. She found a small medkit tucked away in a cabinet in the main hold. Again she had to weave her way through the slaves. She made her way through the curved corridor and saw Winter crouching next Luke.

"Luke, are you okay?" the princess asked. Her long white hooded tunic and pants, were torn and battered. Her white-blonde hair was coming loose from its tight braids. Luke hadn't responded to Winter. He still sat with his head down, staring at the ground.

"What you did was crazy and insubordinate," Winter said. There was a bit of excitement in her voice. "But there are a lot of people here who want to thank you. Including me." Leia moved closer, but didn't quite approach the two. "I can't believe you did it again," Winter continued as she smiled warmly at Luke. "Just like the Battle of Yavin and the Death Star. There's something about you, Luke. Something I feel in my bones. You're going to be the bravest Jedi ever. I just know it."

Winter turned to see Leia holding the medkit. The princess moved to the side to allow Leia to kneel down in front of Luke. Leia opened the kit and started to rummage through it, not even sure what she was looking for or what could help.

"I'm going to check on the others," Winter said. Once again she flashed a warm smile at Luke and nodded at Leia. Then she was gone, making her way through the slaves. Leia looked over at Luke. She mentally reached out for him through their connection, but found nothing. Emptiness. She frowned. She wanted to know what Luke was feeling. She felt helpless.

"Luke?" Leia asked. She wasn't even sure what to ask him. How to help.

"I should be dead, Leia," he finally mumbed. He didn't lift his head. He kept staring down. "We should all be dead. Vader was right. I'm no Jedi. And with Ben dead . . . I never will be."

* * *

Thirty-six standard hours later, Leia again found herself on the  _Millennium Falcon_. It was docked safely in a hangar inside  _Home One_. Han and Chewbacca were both busy working on repairs to the ship from the damage caused by the scavengers. Leia, like Luke, had been given leave from the Alliance Command in order to rest and recover from their mission.

She had learned little details about the mission she herself was a part of. She did know that as Winter, Han, and the slaves were making their way into the trash fields, Luke had gone against Winter's orders. He had gone back into the factory and caused the core to meltdown and explode. He had barely managed to make it back to the ship.

Leia heard steps coming down the hallway into the main hold. She looked up to see Han Solo limping in. He gave her a smile as he sat down next to her. Chewbacca was quick to come in behind Han. He carried several metal covered food trays. The Wookie placed the trays on the table. Han grabbed one and opened it up. Steam rose from the plain looking vegetables and unknown meat in a brown sauce. Chewbacca slid a tray to Leia.

"How's the repairs?" Leia asked as Han started to eat.

"It's a miracle this thing even flew us out of Cymoon 1," Han said with his mouth half full. He wore a white bandage around his head, and a small white bacta patch on his face. The rest of his skin was still scratched and bruised up. "The rush job to get it going again back in that trash heap hasn't helped matters at all."

Chewbacca let a out a roar.

"Hey no offense, pal," Han said to Chewie, "But it looks like you were blindfolded when you put some of this ship back together."

Chewbacca let out an annoyed growl.

"Not so loud, Chewie. My head is still killing me," Han said wincing a tiny bit. Leia had opened her food tray to the same food as Han's. She pushed the steamed vegetables from one of its container to the other. Han was watching her. He broke the silence. "So what's bothering you?" Leia looked over at the captain. "I know these Rebel rations ain't no farm fresh Tatooine cuisine, but I've also never really seen you as a picky eater, Princess."

Leia stopped poking at her food and placed her utensil down. She looked over at Han. "It's Luke," she said. "Ever since Cymoon, he's been distant. He's reluctant to talk and hard to be around. He's holed himself up in his training room."

"Wondering why I hadn't seen the kid around," Han said with a mouthful of food. "Could really use his help fixin' up the  _Falcon_."

"What happened on Cymoon 1, Han?" Leia asked. It was the question she had been yearning to ask. "What happened with Darth Vader?" Han looked up from his food. He finished chewing his current mouthful and swallowed. Clearly he was using this time to think.

"Honestly I'm not even sure," Han said as he glanced over at Chewie, who stayed quiet. "Luke got separated from us. We were trapped inside the factory, until I found that walker. Luke eventually joined up with us again, providing cover while on a bike. Then  _kriffing_ Vader showed up with his . . . whatever you call it- laser sword. Cut off the walker foot."

Chewie let out a roar.

"Yeah trust me, pal, I was there and I still don't believe it," Han said.

"Did Luke face off against Vader? Like did he come face to face with Vader?" Leia asked.

"Don't know," Han said. "It's possible. They at least got close. I think Luke got a few shots at that buckethead. But man I don't know how many times I have to kill that guy. I shot that guy with quad laser cannons. I tried to step on him with an  _Imperial Walker_. They guy never went down. Just popped right back up, completely unphased."

"It's the Force," Leia said in a low voice.

"That's not possible. There is no such thing as the Force."

Leia let the conversation drop as the three sat silently. Leia went back to the words Luke had said on the  _Falcon_ after they escaped Cymoon 1.  _"Vader was right, I'm no Jedi."_

 _Vader was right?_ Leia thought.  _That meant Luke not only came face to face with Darth Vader, but also exchanged words._ She couldn't help but shiver at the thought of standing before Darth Vader. Leia desperately wanted to know what exactly had happened between Luke and Vader. Was this why Luke was closing off his feelings to Leia?

It was time to stop being hesitant about it. She got up, thanked Han and Chewbacca for the meal, and left the ship and the hangar. She mentally prepared and steeled herself for the upcoming conversation with her brother. She hoped she got the answers.


	20. Chapter 20

Luke held his lightsaber out in front of him with both hands in the circular training room. His fighter helmet's blast shield was down, blinding him. He could feel the two seekers zooming around near him. Suddenly he felt it, the laser shoot from the seeker. Luke brought his saber up in time to block it.

" _You hold that weapon like an untrained child,"_  the voice of Darth Vader echoed through Luke.

He sensed within the Force another shot coming. Luke swung his beam down and was able to block it. Yet right he deflected that shot, the second seeker shot Luke in the side. Luke let a painful grunt. He swung the blade around, but again the lasers made contact. His back stung where the laser had made impact.

" _This is most pathetic,"_ Vader's voice said.

Luke swung his saber up high where the last shot had come from. His sword found nothing, instead both seekers let out another round of shots, all of which hit Luke. He let out an angered scream.

" _Obi-Wan Kenobi gave you this lightsaber. A shame he did not teach you how to wield it."_

He quickly side-stepped and swung the saber again. The seekers didn't stop with their fire. He made some hastey steps, crossings his feet to an effort to quickly fend off the seekers. Yet he was unsuccessful as again the seekers' shots stung into Luke. The assault made him lose his balance. He toppled down to the ground, crashing shoulder-first into the cold floor. His helmet fell off and bounced and rolled across the floor.

Again Vader's deep voice filled Luke's head.  _"The Force will never be with you, boy. Your master has fallen. What hope have you?"_

Sweat dripped down Luke's face. He took in deep breaths. He glared at the darting seekers.

" _So be it."_  One of the last of Vader's words came to mind. The words Vader had said after Luke refused to yield. The words Vader had said to condemn his own son to death. One of the seekers let out another shot. Luke didn't bother moving, letting the sting of the laser hurt him.

"So be it," Luke growled. He ungracefully lumbered back up and quickly slashed down both seekers. Both were sliced in half, their parts falling smoking to the ground.

"Luke . . ."

"I'm not interested, Winter." Luke said as he gave only a quick glance at the princess. He deactivated his saber as she walked into the training room. She was dressed in her princess attire of the white hooded, belted, flowing white dress. Her white hair was pulled into two side buns on either side of the head.

"In what?" she asked.

"In whatever mission you've come to try and talk me into," Luke said as he turned away from her. He didn't want to speak to her right now. "I told you, it was lucky we weren't all killed in the last one."

Winter placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. Her hand felt icy on his hot skin. "You're too hard on yourself," she said. "I've seen you do such amazing things. Things only a Jedi could-"

"I'm  _no_  Jedi," Luke interrupted her as he spun to face her. "All I am is a danger to everyone around me!"

"What you are is special. General Kenobi saw that. I don't know why you won't let yourself accept it."

"Ben's  _dead_ , Winter," Luke said as once again he turned away from her. "And when I tried to avenge him . . . avenge what he did to my mom . . . Darth Vader swatted me away like I was an insect. Until I'm something more than I am now . . . I shouldn't even be here. I shouldn't be around any of you."

"Luke . . ." Winter's voice had an edge to it. "What are you saying?"

He turned to face her. His blue eyes met hers. "I'm sorry, Winter, but please let me go. Just let me go."

He walked passed her and left her in the training room. Her voice called after him. "Go? This is what you were born for. You can't . . . Go where? Luke!"

Winter's voice quickly faded away as he made his way back to his bunk. He turned the final corner and found Leia next to the door of his room. He groaned. Leia saw him and quickly walked over to him. Her head was held high. She had that look about her. She wanted to talk with him, and Luke didn't want to talk with her.

"Go away, Leia," he grumbled as he stepped passed her without even pausing.

Leia didn't let that stop her. She followed right after him as he went into his small bunk. "Luke, we need to talk." Luke gave her annoyed glance over his shoulder hoping she would get the hint. "Don't give me that look. I'm not leaving until we talk."

"Fine," Luke said. He dropped onto his bunk. He placed his elbows on his knees and looked as his sister. He knew his sister well. She wasn't going to give up. "Go on." Leia stood there awkwardly. It was clear she had been expecting him not to give in that easily.

"Fine," she said straightening herself up a bit. "I will get straight to it. Did you face Darth Vader on Cymoon 1?"

Luke winced. Leia let out a small gasp.

"Luke . . ." she said. A heavy silence filled the room. Luke glanced down at the ground between his legs. He heard Leia walk over to him and take a seat on the bunk opposite of him. He was purposely blocking his emotions from her. However, he had never figured out how to block his outgoing emotions. The block was all of nothing and as such he couldn't feel her emotions. He took a deep breath and looked up at her.

Leia had mimicked Luke's pose. Her elbows rested on her things. She was hunched over looking straight at him. Her brown eyes were full of concern. Luke suddenly felt the mental block he had been holding up, fall apart. Leia's emotions flooded into him. Concern. Sadness. Loneliness. Determination. Fear. Guilt.

How much her eyes had looked like Winter's had a few moments ago. Winter had also been concerned, but also annoyed and angry at him. Leia on the other hand was genuinely concerned for Luke. She was afraid and saddened over his encounter with Vader. She was lonely from his blockage of their connection. She was determined to help him. Guilty that she hadn't done so yet.

"Luke you don't have to do this alone," Leia finally said. "I'll always be here if you need me." A small smile came to Luke's lips. She was right. He felt guilty about blocking out their connection. But he didn't want to bother her with his emotions. She didn't need to suffer like he was. "How was it," Leia said a soft voice. It was almost a whisper. "Being face to face . . . with  _him_?"

Luke looked back down as he was unable to meet his sister's eyes. A long silence stretched between them. Neither twin moved or spoke for a while. The only sound was the two breathing. Finally Luke said in a small voice, "Horrible." Luke was sure she could feel his fear as he remembered meeting their father. "He was everything mom feared and more. He was a monster."

" _You boy, are_  no _Jedi,"_ again the voice of Vader played through Luke's mind.  _"The Force will never be with you."_

"I was no match . . ." Luke continued. "He was so powerful. He took the lightsaber right from hand without even touching it. I never stood a chance, Leia. He was about to strike me down! Mom was right. She was right about it all. What was I thinking? Taking up the last name Skywalker?"

"You were thinking you were no longer going to hide," Leia said. Luke looked up at her. "All our lives we've been hiding. No longer could you just sit there and do nothing."

She smiled at him and Luke couldn't help but smile back. Warmth flooded through the connection the two shared. Luke took a deep breath as if he was taking that warmth into him. How foolish he had been. Leia was there for him. She always was. He shouldn't have blocked her out.

"I don't know who I am," Luke said. "A Lars? A Skywalker? I just know I'm not who I'm supposed to be. Not yet. I still have too many questions and I know that out there there are answers." Leia frowned. "I need to go out there and find them, Leia. I can't stay here. I'm just too dangerous. Too dangerous for the Alliance. For you and mom."

"Luke . . ." Leia started to say but trailed off. Luke knew there wasn't much of an argument. She could sense his inner turmoil. She took a steadying breath. "I don't think leaving is a good idea, but if this is something you feel you have to do, then do it. Just promise me you'll be safe out there."

Luke reached out and Leia reached out as well. The two clasped hands and squeezed each others hand in reassurance.


	21. Chapter 21

Leia felt the blaster recoil as a volley of red shot across the digitally displayed holofield. The majority of the bolts blasted into the holographic targets. She lowered the blaster and looked at the vaguely-looking stormtroopers of the holograph. She had sent out fifteen shots. Only two were proper kill shots. Ten were debilitating shots. While the others were misses or grazes.

Leia rolled her shoulders in an effort to ease the frustration that was building in her. She knew getting frustrated wasn't helping, but she couldn't help it. She didn't want to be seen as useless again. She had taken it upon herself to practice her blaster skill sin the Alliance's Training and Practice Wing. She was currently using a shooting simulator.

She had also started to learn basic combat skills from classes taught to new recruits. She liked to think herself fit, growing up on a moisture farmer. However, it appeared fighting used muscles she wasn't aware she had. Her sore body was a living testament to how demanding the classes had been.

Yet, Leia felt satisfied. She didn't want to be regulated to wait on the ship waiting for everyone else again. However progress was going slow on her combat skills. She reminded herself it had barely been a week since Cymoon 1. Luke had left five standard days ago. She chided herself if she thought a few days would bring herself to mastery, but she couldn't help it. She felt like she had a long way to go.  _A long way to catch up with Luke_ , a dark thought whispered inside her.

Leia pressed the buttons to her right to change the targeting program. She brought up the blaster as the holographs of the troopers appeared. This simulation was more active combat. This time the troopers were running, kneeling, some even jumping down from above. She knew a current weakness of hers was shifting her aim from one target to another, especially when the targets were moving. She knew it was an important skill to master for actual battle.

The program finished and the last blue hologram trooper faded out. She stepped out of the simulator. She glanced down the row of simulators, all battle simulators like the one she had been in. The place was generally empty. A few other Alliance members wearing their gray fatigues were in the large room.

Leia took a walk to the end of the large room and turned. She figured getting out the simulation and walking about would be a nice break. But now she was ready to do another simulation. She made her way back to the simulator she had been using, but noticed someone was in there. She was about to turn to find an empty pod, but then the figure turned around. She was surprised to see it was her mother.

"Mom?" Leia asked clearly taken aback. Padmé no longer wore her Tatooine garb. Instead she wore a light brown jumpsuit with a black belt. She wore a purple vest and tall boots. Her hair was pulled into a large bun behind her head with a spiral braid twisting from ear to ear.

"Is it that much of a change?" Padmé asked.

"You look good. It's different, but good," Leia replied.

Padmé smiled at Leia, but Leia could tell her mother still felt a bit uncomfortable. Leia had been surprised by her mother's change after the Cymoon mission. When the  _Millennium Falcon_ landed on  _Home One_ , Padmé had been there in the hangar waiting. She had helped Leia bring Luke to the med bay.

Yet not once had Padmé been angry or accusing towards either child. She asked each twin if they were all right. Then insisted they rest and eat. Padmé never asked about why Leia never told her mother that she had joined the Alliance or why both Luke and Leia had left on a mission without informing their mother. Padmé hadn't lectured the twins on how dangerous the mission had been. How careless it had been to do such a reckless thing. How they weren't hiding.

Padmé glanced over her shoulder. Leia's results were being displayed. "You want some advice?" Padmé asked. Leia couldn't stop the small scoff that escaped her lips. "Oh? Think I don't know my way around a blaster?" Padmé chided. Leia knew her mother often carried a small blaster with her when she went on translating jobs, but Leia had never seen her mother practice or use the gun.

Padmé picked up the practice blaster. She pressed the controls for the simulation to start. It was the same program Leia had just run through. However, Padmé went through it with ease. She wasted no shots. Her shots were either clean one-shot kills or three or four kill shots. A few times she shot the legs of a trooper, to bring them down before finishing the holograph off. There were no shots that only grazed a trooper or went wildly off mark. The program finished. The older woman smiled at her daughter. Leia was quiet, finding herself a bit a loss for words.

"You should try some dry practice," Padmé explained. "It simply allows you to practice pulling the trigger on the blaster without all that distracting flash and bang. It's a way to train your eyes, body, and trigger finger to pull the trigger smoothly, without moving your eyes off the target. The real benefit is that you can do all this without that instinctive flinch when the blaster normally goes off. You condition yourself to perform a smooth trigger press, without a flinch reaction. Eventually you'll find you can do the same with the blaster turned on to normal fire."

Padmé fiddled with the practice blaster before handing it to Leia. Padmé then turned back to the controls and brought up a different simulation. It was a beginner level, where the troopers didn't move but the holographs would fade and filter out to new ones after a few seconds. Padmé turned to Leia, smiled, and nodded. Leia practiced several rounds of dry practice, while Padmé quietly stood by. Every now and then she'd give some advice such as how to hold her elbow or to watch the angle of her wrist or to drop her weight into her waist.

On the last round of practicing, Leia turned the blaster's practice fire back on. She continued on the beginner level, but found she had already improved from earlier. It was her best run yet. Leia was feeling good about her progress. The mother and daughter left the simulator and went to dinner in the mess hall. The two found a quiet table.

"Mom," Leia said, "Thanks for earlier. Do- do you think you could come with me to the battle simulator again?"

"If there is time," Padmé answered.

"If there is time?" Leia asked. "What else are doing?" The month after the Battle of Yavin, Padmé had barely left her bunk. She usually spent her days laying listless in her bed. Though after Cymoon it did appear her mother had been more active. She seemed to be going out of her room more. Leia felt a wave of guilt and shame hit her as she realized she had been too caught up with her own obsession to train. She hadn't been paying attention to her mother.

"Leia I want our family to be truthful with each other," Padmé started. "It pains me that you and your brother aren't honest with me." Leia felt a tightness in her chest. "But I can't complain that much. Our whole family has been built on lies. Well perhaps not outright lies, but lies by omission of truth. I, of course, have been no role model for being completely honest."

"That's not true," Leia said. "You told Luke and I about . . . Darth Vader."

For a brief flicker, Padmé's face was that of deep sorrow and pain. Leia recognized it whenever her mother thought of her father or Darth Vader. However, it quickly eased away.

"I never told my family or friends about my marriage or pregnancy." Padmé's voice was soft but pained. "I wasn't lying about it, as no one outright asked me about it. Yet, I never revealed the truth. Your father was the same with the Jedi Order. I want to change that, Leia. I want to be more honest with you. More open with you. And Luke. Neither of you are children anymore. You two are clearly now capable of making your own decisions. As you should. I must sadly admit you two have grown up."

Leia wasn't quite sure how to respond. "I'm going to start right now," Padmé said. "I've also joined the Alliance."

Leia felt her breath catch in her throat. "You . . . you what?" Leia said finally finding words. "What are you going to be doing? Translating?"

"No, I will be working in a more diplomatic role. I already have my first mission. I leave tomorrow. Thus the new clothes."

"A mission? Doing what? Going where?"

"In the Kathol sector, Brolsam system, Outer Rim" Padmé explained. "I'm going to help organize relief efforts. The Alliance has been offering aid to the system, but the aid effort hasn't been properly managed. Not everyone is getting the aid they need. Mon Mothma wants me to go and help organize the relief effort while keeping all parties involved happy."

Leia was quiet. She was having a hard time grasping the situation. She had always known her mother as the one to shy away from being in the lead. She hated having to dominate and be overpowering on translating jobs. Padmé always lived by her mantra:  _Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._ Who was this person sitting across from Leia?

"Are sure this is what you want to do?" Leia asked her mother. "Join the Alliance?"

Padmé paused, as if contemplating Leia's words. "Honestly? I'm not completely sure. If I could choose any action at this moment, it would be to whisk you and Luke away. Go hide somewhere beyond the reach of the Empire and the Alliance. Yet . . . that would be selfish of me. What I do know is that everything I've done these past nineteen years has been for you and Luke. All the hiding. All the sacrifices. The deaths. I'm not about to let that all be for nothing.

"I can't support you two by hiding, so if that means I must join the Alliance to be by your sides so be it. Leia, I will do anything to protect you and brother. To keep you safe, especially from the Empire." Padmé leaned over. Her next words were soft, meant only for Leia. "And from  _him_."


	22. Chapter 22

Padmé made her way carefully through the mud on the planet Brolsam. It had been raining the past few days, and finally the skies had cleared. She made her way so she had a good view of the valley and the distant hills and mountains. The sun was setting, casting the sky in oranges, reds, and purples. She loved sunsets. Even on Tatooine, she would sit and watch the twin suns sink into the horizon.

Yet sunsets were always bittersweet. They reminded her of her wedding day. The sun setting in Varykino as she took her vows. Her heart ached to think back to that time. Even after all these years she could still remember it. Remember him. His face. His voice and laughter. His touch. Padmé shook her head slightly as if to shake herself of such thoughts. It would do her no good to dwell on thoughts of him. Eventually they lead to darker memories. Instinctively Padmé found one hand gently pressed against her throat. She quickly brought her hand down and clenched it into a fist.

She turned her attention back to the scenery. It was an agricultural world, and the valley down below was nothing but fields. Though Padmé had already been there two months, she still found the view welcoming. It was a refreshing change from the deserts and canyons of Tatooine of the last two decades. With the sun finally behind the distant hills, Padmé turned and made her way back into the town.

Brolsam's population was split three ways between humans, Rodians, and Fefze. Padmé had never really dealt with the Fefze before. They were a large black insectoid species about one meter big. Individually they were not sentient, yet swarms collectively formed an intelligence. Fefze were mostly noted for the digestive system, which allowed them to eat any carbon-based organic material. They then left a protein-rich paste behind. Fefze were generally contracted by colonists, since they could convert nearly anything into nourishment. Which also meant that the Fefze could keep the humans and Rodians of Brolsam fed without wasting the precious produce being farmed on the planet.

However, the Fefze weren't that simple. They were artists. They were dancers, sculptures, painters, and singers. The simple buildings of the town were decorated in wooden and mud sculptures that twisted and spiraled along the walls. It almost looked like the buildings were organic, grown from the ground.

The relief aid was coming along smoothly now. Recent rain storms and mudslides had caused the farmers to not reach demanded quotas. The Imperial supervisors were harsh, lowering the Fefze nutrient bar rations given to the farmers as food. Then sickness broke out amongst the starving farming populations. That was when the Alliance stepped in for aid.

However the grassroots Rebels on Brolsam were not that equipped to see the supplies properly and equally handed out all while staying hidden from the Imperials and the pro-Imperial Fefze clan known as the Nat'xikta swarm. When Padmé stepped onto the planet, the three different races were at odds with each other. It had taken some time to soothe over the tensions between the humans, Rodians, and Fefze. Once there was open communication, she was able to plot underground supply routes to desperate communities needing food and medicine.

Padmé felt her time on Brolsam was coming to an end. The last week or so she had spent training individuals from each race to be able to take her mantle and lead themselves. She was ready to get back to  _Home One_ , if only to see Luke and Leia again. This was the longest she had been without her children and she missed them terribly. She had told herself she was going to let them live their lives, but she couldn't help worry about them.

Leia kept in better contact with her mother than Luke. Padmé had been relieved when Luke had returned to the Alliance. She hadn't gotten the full story of what happened while he was gone. She did know he ended up on Nar Shaddaa, a notorious moon full of crime lords, smugglers, and bounty hunters. Luke had gotten involved with some Hutt crime lord, but Captain Solo and Leia were able to get him out.

Padmé couldn't stop the frown that formed on her lips. She had vowed to be more open with her children. She had been with Leia, and yet she was frustrated the twins were still withholding things from her. Granted, she herself had explained to Leia it seemed in the whole family's nature to be that way.

 _Just give it some time_ , Padmé told herself as she made her way back to the home she was staying in _. A lot has changed in their lives. They're still trying figure themselves out._

As she approached the small house she lived in, Padmé put her hand against the wall. Her fingers trailed along the spiral and curved designs the Fefze sculptures had placed into the building. A few small stones were placed strategically in the design as well. She made it to the door, but paused before going in.

She looked up at the sky, now a darkened purple but not completely night yet. The stars were just starting to come out. She couldn't help but glance amongst them, wondering if she was looking in the direction of her children.

* * *

The stars stretched beyond the viewport in front of Darth Vader. He stood in his private office abroad his flagship, the  _Devastator_. There wasn't much to the office. A large dark desk sat near a wall with a large chair capable of comfortably seating Vader and his armored suit. Beyond that the room was empty. No other furnishings or decorations. Vader had no need or desires for such things. There weren't even other chairs, for why would he allow anyone to be in his private chambers?

The only sound in the room was the the sound of his respirator going in and out. The sound was both soothing and grating. Darth Vader tuned the breathing out, focusing on his thoughts and plans. It had been three months since the Battle of Yavin and two months since the disaster on Cymoon 1. It had been a month since he learned the truth about the boy Rebel who shot down the Death Star. The truth about  _her_.

 _Padmé_.

There was still a lot of pain that came with bringing up her name. For almost two decades he had tried to bury the name. Her face. Her voice. Her love. Her body lying motionless on the landing platform on Mustafar. Yet now that pain was different. It used to be unbearable and made Vader weak. His master loved to taunt Vader with her image and her voice when Vader had displeased the Emperor. Thus the need to bury her memory deep down inside of him.

Now the pain had changed. No longer was it a weakness. It was fuel. The pain created anger, betrayal, and jealousy. All of which fueled the dark side. Vader opened himself up to the Force, and instantly he felt the folds of the dark side welcome him. Envelop him. He let his anger boil out, and the dark side reacted to this dark emotion. Vader could feel his connection to the Force get stronger.

He reached out with his mind into space. He sought out the boy, his son. He would at times get a small hint of a bright glowing presence in the Force. As soon as Vader would try to hone in on it, it would slip away as if it was taunting him. He tried to find the girl, his daughter, but he never had been able to find any trace of her in the Force. Surely she was strong in the Force like her brother.

Vader drew back into himself. It didn't matter. It was only a matter of time. Already several plans were in motion to locate his family. The hardest part was staying one step ahead of his master. Darth Sidious was already aware of the boy, but merely as the scum who destroyed the Death Star and was now a symbol of the Rebellion. To Vader's knowledge the Emperor still didn't know the boy's parentage or how strong in the Force he was. However, Vader was no fool. It was only a matter of time before Sidious discovered it. Already there were others hunting for the boy. Commander Karbin had been given the task from Grand General Tagge. However, the fool hadn't even learned the identity of the boy.

It was important he reach the boy first. Thus the majority of Vader's focus was on the boy. However, that didn't mean he was ignoring his wife or daughter. Vader had already sliced into the records on Tatooine. He had erased all traces of Mae and Leia Lars. It would have been foolish to erase Luke's records. The Emperor would have known what Vader had done and would have looked into what Vader was hiding. Thus, Vader had left Luke's records alone. For anyone who did peer into the Tatooine records, they would see that Owen and Beru Lars raised their nephew Luke Skywalker alone.

 _Patience_ , Vader told himself. Everything would work in his favor.


	23. Chapter 23

Leia sat against the wall in Luke's training room on  _Home One_. She held in her hand a lightsaber. She had kept it when she went with Han and Chewie to help save Luke from Grakkus the Hutt. The Hutt was a collector of Jedi artifacts and owned quite of collection of lightsabers. R2-D2 had managed to grab a few and pass them off to Leia, Han, and Chewie when their blasters were shorted out by an E.M.P.

The metal cylinder of the lightsaber was simple. It did not boast a complex design. The design alternated between circular bands in metal and black vertical stripes down the shaft. When activated, the beam was blue. Leia couldn't help but feel like it was similar to Luke's. To her father's lightsaber. Yet she was aware it was not the same.

She put the saber in a small leather bag she had sitting next to her. Leia had yet to talk to Luke about the saber, the new one or their father's. Luke had left the Alliance to find answers. He had returned to Tatooine and found Ben's journal in his old house. Then he got mixed up that Hutt on Nar Shaddaa. To Leia, it hadn't appeared that Luke had found any of the answers he was looking for. She herself had flipped through Ben's journal, which mainly just chronicled some of his life and thoughts while he lived on Tatooine. It didn't detail on how to be a Jedi.

Perhaps what Luke really needed was a boost in confidence and reassurance after Cymoon. Perhaps walking out of Grakkus's death arena had given him the confidence he needed to keep pursuing being a Jedi. Regardless, Leia was glad her brother was back with the Alliance. Lately all of his work was as an X-Wing pilot. He was currently away on practice drills with several squadrons. Which meant that Leia had his practice room to herself.

"You ready?"

Leia looked up to see Sana Starros standing in the door of the training room. The woman walked in carrying a large bag. She threw against the wall next to Leia. The bag clanked against the wall and landed heavily next to her. The metal rattling inside.

Sana was a dark skin woman with several thick coils of braids in her dark hair. She wore standard spacer attire: black tight leather pants and a long-sleeved top. She also had tall boots and gloves. However, she also wore a vibrant emerald green scarf with subtle zig-zag patterns on it. The scarf was large and draped across her shoulders and down a bit of her upper arms. Part of the scarf trailed down her back. She also wore the same material around her waist, with a simple brown belt on top of it.

Leia and Han had run into her during scouting mission the two went on for Winter. They were scouting a possible location for the new planetside Alliance base to see if the area was free from Imperials. It wasn't. Han brought the Imperial shuttle they were flying in to an old smuggler hide-out of his to escape the Imperial pursuit.

That was when Sana showed up claiming she was Han's wife. She wanted Han to come with her so she could cash in on the bounty on his head. Yet then they all got caught up with Imperial troops and were forced to flee. It was then they heard about Luke's situation on Nar Shaddaa. Leia had helped an injured Sana during the fight at the Hutt's arena. Sana had stayed with the Alliance since then. The Rebels were always willing to use established smugglers to transport goods between systems.

"I'd figured we'd start with some hand-to-hand practice," Sana said as she walked over and extended a hand to Leia. Leia took it and let herself be pulled up. Leia liked practicing with Sana. She didn't hold back any punches. She also liked how the woman could fight dirty and unfair. "Nothing is fair in a real fight," she would say to Leia.

Sana led Leia through some warm ups, before the two sparred with each other. Sana was faster and more experienced, and as such Leia rarely won. Already Leia sported several bruises under her white jumpsuit from her previous training sessions with the smuggler. After the third round they stopped.

Leia leaned against the wall to catch her breath. While Sana did look a bit sweaty, she didn't appear winded or tired like Leia. Sana grabbed her large bag and opened it. She slowly took out the pieces of a sniper rifle. Leia had run into Sana at the shooting simulators two weeks ago. It eventually led to Leia mentioning she wanted to learn to use a rifle, and Sana offered to teach her. However, Leia hadn't done much training shooting the long blaster. Sana insisted the most important thing about a sniper rifle was the care and upkeep of it. Being able to assemble and disassemble it fast without causing any damage to the gun.

Leia sighed as she sat down and scooted over into the middle of the room. Sana didn't need to say anything. Leia knew she was expected to practice putting the gun together and back apart as quickly as she could. Leia was on her third time disassembling the gun, when she heard Sana speak up.

"What's this?" the smuggler asked. Leia looked over to see Sana holding the lightsaber hilt. Sana pressed the button and the blue beam shot forth. "You kept this from Nar Shaddaa?" Sana deactivated the beam and looked at Leia. Leia didn't know what to say. She could feel heat creeping across her cheeks. "It's a pretty good weapon," Sana said putting the lightsaber back into Leia's bag. "If I had been given one, I would have kept it too. Don't know if I would have sold it or not. I'm more of a blaster-person myself. Pretty sure these laser swords are worth a nice pile of credits on the right market."

Leia turned away from Sana and tried to refocus on the rifle. "So are you wanting to be a Jedi, then?" Leia heard Sana say. "Like Skywalker? Granted he doesn't make for a very good Jedi." Leia looked back over at Sana. Sana didn't know that Leia and Luke were siblings. "Sure he has the sword and tries to levitate his fork at dinner when he thinks no one is looking. But I just thought Jedi were supposed to be . . . more impressive."

Leia couldn't help but smile. "You should try telling that to Winter. Or Force, to the rest of the Alliance." Leia thought back to the Cymoon mission.

" _I can't believe you did it again," Winter had said back on Cymoon 1 to Luke. "Just like the Battle of Yavin and the Death Star. There's something about you, Luke. Something I feel in my bones. You're going to be the bravest Jedi ever. I just know it."_

"Oh please don't tell me you kept that stupid thing so you could be put on some pedestal like Skywalker," Sana said.

"No," Leia said a bit softly. "It's a bit more complicated than that. My father . . . was a Jedi. All of my life I never thought about being a Jedi. But seeing Luke be one, I thought perhaps why can't I. Yet, I don't know if it's something I want to do. I've been wanting to talk to Luke about it, but I just haven't."

Sana reached back down into Leia's bag and pulled out the lightsaber. She tossed it lightly. It landed on the ground and rolled up across the floor. It landed softly against the side of Leia's leg. Leia looked up questionly at Sana.

"I don't know anything about being a Jedi or the Force or laser swords," Sana said. "But if you want me to help you while swing that thing around and try not to kill yourself, I will." Leia picked up the lightsaber and held it in her hand.

"Thanks, Sana," she said. "I'll keep that in mind, but for right now I think I'll focus on blasters."

Sana shrugged. Leia placed the lightsaber to the side and finished taking apart the rifle. As Leia was putting the rifle parts back into the large bag, Leia's commlink went off. Sana fished it out of Leia's bag and tossed it to Leia.

"Leia?" Han's voice came over the com.

"Yes?" Leia answered.

"You need to get to the  _Falcon_. Something's happened. I think Luke might be involved." Han replied.


	24. Chapter 24

"You mean Vader as in Darth Vader?" Han asked as he walked beside Winter down the corridor towards the hangar. "As that guy who's almost killed us every time we've ever come near him?"

Moments ago Winter had been called in by Alliance High Council. They had received a distress call from their refueling base on Vrogas Vas. Darth Vader had appeared in his TIE fighter. Alone. The Alliance forces had managed to shoot him down. His fighter had crashed onto the planet.

"Yes, exactly," Winter said sternly staring ahead.

"And you're going after him? On purpose? Why the blazes would-"

Winter interrupted him, "Because he's second in command of the Empire! The base on Vrogas Vas is being mobilized to apprehend Vader. That's an entire company, but we all know that if it's really Darth Vader they've shot down . . . one company won't be nearly enough. So General Dodonna is sending a battalion to back them up, and I'm going with them."

"I really think you should stop and consider what you're doing here, your highness. I mean . . ." Han paused. "Wait . . . Vrogas Vas? That's . . . that's where Luke went! Winter tell me he's not . . ."

Winter replied, "Vader is the priority here. He must be the Alliance's sole focus right now while he is weak and unsupported! If we can take down Darth Vader, think about how huge a blow it will be for the Empire. What it would do for the Alliance!"

"Yeah?" Han said loudly as Winter stormed off in front of him. "Well Vader's not my priority!"

Fifteen minutes later, Winter stood in the cockpit of the  _Millennium Falcon_ , while Han set course for Vrogas Vas. Leia had come running abroad moments before as apparently Han had called her. Winter wasn't in the mood nor did she want to waste time arguing with Han or Leia about why Leia should stay behind. Winter stood with her hands on her hips staring ahead as she watch the ship depart the hangar.

She kept her face a slight scowl, but it didn't reveal the depths of her anger. Her anger at Darth Vader and the lost of Alderaan. She could still feel his hands on her as he held her. Forced her to watch the Death Star blow up her planet. When she blinked she could still see the red and then blinding white of the explosion of her home. This was her chance to bring Vader down.

Upon arriving on the barren rocky planet, Winter located a captain who updated her on the ongoing situation. Vader had been taken down by Luke ramming his ship into Vader's. ("Lucky kid," Han had mumbled.) Han wanted to go out and search for Luke, requesting a speeder. Winter had turned him down. She needed everything she had if she wanted to bring the Emperor's Sith Lord down.

Han had not taken that decision well, and took off the in  _Falcon_  with Chewbacca. However, Leia had decided to stay at the base with Winter. She claimed that Luke was alive and fine. She f _elt_ it. Winter didn't have the time or mind to ponder what exactly Leia meant by that statement. She had other things to worry about as she walked into the command central of the base and assumed control. She ordered the troops to locate Vader's crashed ship and Vader himself.

The situation had not improved. Somehow the man, the monster, was unstoppable. Transmissions were cut short from whole squads, never to be heard from again. The troops who were on backup reported massive explosions. Then they themselves would stop responding. The loss of lives was growing.

Winter couldn't sit at the base any longer. She stormed out of the central command. Leia and C-3PO were right on her heels, but Winter's thoughts were too focused to worry about the girl. Winter donned a pair of soldier fatigues, a brown bulky jumpsuit with a multi-pocket utility belt. She snapped a helmet on as walked into the hangar. Leia still shadowed the princess. She had also donned the uniform and helmet.

The Delta Squadron was getting ready to move out. Winter joined them, though the commander voiced his concerns about Winter joining them. She was not to be swayed of her decision. They had rolled out on small speeder tanks. They quickly reached the sector Vader was last seen. The area had poor visibility due to large clouds of smoke and dust. It was quiet. No sounds of fighting. No sounds of other troops. No sounds of anything but the arriving squad.

Winter order the Delta Squadron to fan out and to shoot to kill on sight. The troops spilled from the tanks and disappeared into the haze. The tanks rolled out, but one was left behind. Leia and C-3PO were ordered to stay with that tank. Leia was quick to object.

"I'm going to accompany you!" Leia argued.

"No. You are to stay here with the tank," Winter said harshly.

"I'm not staying behind again just to wait for you to get back!"

"Leia! Every squad, every soldier, that has faced Vader today has not come back. If things go poorly, we need a secure and fast means of escape. And . . . and if we don't make it. Someone needs to report on Vader's location. Stay with the tank, that's an order!"

Winter didn't wait for Leia's response. She turned, motioned to small group of troops that would be accompanying here, and headed out. It didn't take long for the fighting to start. At first it started with a shout in the distance following by a single blaster going off. Then more blasters and shouts. Then amongst the fire were the shouts and screams. The com started to fill with the cries and pleas of the dying.

"Our tanks! He's exploding our tanks! How can he-"

"He can't be stopped! He's not a man!"

"Don't come after him! Whatever you do, don't-"

Winter tread carefully through the smoky rocky barren landscape. Her group of soldiers followed behind her. Winter spotted a few bodies on the ground through the haze. "We have to keep going," she said keeping her blaster up, pointing ahead.

"Y-yes commander," a soldier on her right said.

They kept walking a few more moments in quiet. The air was tense. All the other chatter over the commlink had stopped. Then suddenly she heard weird gasping sounds from behind her. She turned to see her soldiers all grasping at their throats. Their blasters falling to the ground. Their eyes bulging from their heads. They quickly fell over.

"Well this is unexpected," the deep mechanical voice said. "Good evening, princess." Winter turned to see Darth Vader. He held his glowing red lightsaber. He looked pristine, unscathed. Not as if he just crawled out of a crash or been fighting squads of Rebel soldiers.

Fear suddenly slammed into Winter. It was as if this whole time she had been able to dam it back, and suddenly it was let loose. She scrambled backwards away from Vader and tripped against a boulder. She grasped for the anger she had previously held back on the  _Falcon_. She grasped for the images of Alderaan's last moments, yet they weren't there. Instead she only saw what was in front of her: Darth Vader.

C-3PO's voice came over the comlink breaking the silence. "Mistress Winter! A message from Han Solo! Wonderful news! Master Luke is safe!"

Vader slowly approached her.

"You can't stop this," she said to Vader. "You can kill me, but you can't kill what I stand for. You won't stop justice. You won't stop the Rebellion."

"You misunderstand," Vader said calmly. "Your end will not be like your precious Alderaan. That was far too swift. You will find that-" He stopped mid-sentence. He turned sharply, his back now to Winter. "What? You dare?" he shouted out into the smoke.

Winter took the chance and ran. She didn't know who Vader was talking to. Everyone was dead. There was no one but her out here. She ran through the smoke and over the bodies. She came across the last remaining small tank. C-3PO stood beside it holding his comlink. Leia, who had been sitting, jumped up and out of the tank.

"Winter!" she called.

"Oh, Mistress Winter!" C-3PO shouted. "You are a sight for malfunctioning optics! Where has everyone gone?"

As she approached the droid she reached out for the commlink. Somewhere along the way she had dropped hers. "They're dead," she informed them flatly. "Threepio. You and Leia head towards Luke's last position as fast as you can. Get away from here."

"Certainly, Mistress Winter. But why?" the droid responded.

However Leia quickly asked, "What are you planning to do, Winter?"

Winter looked down at the commlink before turning it on. "Commander Winter to Amber Wing and anyone else who's mobile. Vader will be arriving at this position shortly. When he does, wait for my signal and then hit it with everything you've got."

Leia stepped up and slapped the comlink out of Winter's hand. "What are you doing?" she shouted.

"Oh my, Princess Winter!" C-3PO exclaimed. "That'll be certain death!"

Winter looked down. "It is. Hopefully for Vader as well." She looked at Leia. "Tell Luke and Han I'm sorry. Now go!" C-3PO obeyed without question and started to tottle off. But Leia stayed. "Leia, that's an order now go."

"No," the girl replied stubbornly. "I knew you'd do something stupid. That's why I didn't go with Han. We're both leaving together."

"Leia! You have to leave right now! Vader is on his way here and so is every mobile fighter the Alliance has on this planet right now!"

Winter bent down to grab the fallen commlink. Leia took the opportunity and jumped at Winter. Leia crashed into Winter. The princess slammed into the side of the tank before the two rolled onto the ground.

"You're not going to sacrifice yourself," Leia grunted as the two wrestled for the com.

"If it means stopping Vader, then I will!" Winter screamed back. Winter hands went for one of the pockets on her belt. She felt the small device within. She elbowed Leia, giving her a brief moment to active the small stick-like device. As Leia came to grab Winter again, Winter stabbed one end of the device into the folds of Leia's uniform. On impact the stunner device sent out an electrical charge. Leia convulsed and fell off Winter. Leia laid on the ground stunned, unmoving. Winter grabbed the commlink.

"Stay there!" Winter shouted as she climbed to her feet. She dashed around the side of the tank and took off into the smoky haze. She had only made it a few steps before the shadowed silhouette of Vader appeared. Winter held up the commlink, her finger right above the button to send the signal. She knew the Alliance forces were waiting. But . . . could she? It would mean Leia would have to die as well.

"Are you done running, princess?" Vader called as he approached. "It's time to end this. To end the rebellion."

"No matter what dark powers you muster," Winter spat at the dark lord, "you'll never stop the Rebellion."

"This is not a war, princess," Darth Vader replied as he came to a stop right in front of Winter. "Wars are for lesser man than the Emperor and myself. This is a series of  _executions_. And yours is long overdue."

Winter's muscles tensed, still poised to press the signal. A grunting noise followed by the sound of shuffling was heard from behind the tank. Winter couldn't help but turn from Vader. Leia's hand shot up and grabbed the side of the speeder tank. She pulled herself up.

"Winter?" she called out. As she straightened up, Leia's eyes fell on Darth Vader. Fear instantly washed across her face.

"You," Vader's voice boomed from behind Winter. "Who  _are_ you?"


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 24**

* * *

The fear was instantaneous upon seeing the looming dark figure of Darth Vader towering behind Winter.

"You. Who  _are_  you?" a deep dark mechanical voice asked.

The image of Luke, battered and scratched up, grabbing his side of the floor of the Millenium Falcon came to Leia's mind. Her brother's words floated through her mind. " _I was no match . . ." Luke said. "He was so powerful. He took the lightsaber right from hand without even touching it. I never stood a chance, Leia. He was about to strike me down! Mom was right. She was right about it all."_

She needed to get out of here. She needed to get away from Darth Vader. She pushed off the side of the speeder, turned, and started to run. Yet suddenly she found herself unable to move. Frozen mid-stride.

"No," a booming voice said from behind her. "You will not run from me."

The footsteps crunching in the dirt that were approaching Leia appeared incredibly loud in her ears. Then came the sound of the mechanical breathing. Ksshh-Kooshh. Ksshh-kooshh. Leia strained against the invisible force that was holding her whole body. She pushed every muscle to move. She needed to get away. She had to get away.

She was suddenly spun around. She felt large hands grab her shoulders. When she finally reoriented herself she looked up into the black mask of Darth Vader. She let out a loud gasp, but she didn't intake another breath. She couldn't. Her body started to ache.  _Breathe_ , she told herself. She took a quick sharp breath in. It felt painful.

"What is your name, girl?" Darth Vader asked.

 _No!_ Leia thought. She couldn't tell him. She had to get away. Despite Vader only holding on to her shoulders, her whole body felt pinned down.

Suddenly she was no longer in smokey barren wasteland. She wasn't sure where she was. It was a featureless space all the same dull grey and brown reminding her of the smoky sky on Vrogas Vas. The space seemed to curve around her. It was an enclosing of some sort. A room. Yet she felt safe here. Somehow this was her space.

Something in the distance, beyond the space, vibrated and shook as if there was an explosion. She looked in the direction it had came. She became aware that the direction was the 'outside.' She glanced the opposite way. That direction was 'further inside.' Again another explosion vibrated the space. This time she became aware that the explosions were breaking something apart.

She tensed. She was safe, right? This was her safe space. Another explosion. Another wall breaking down. This explosion was closer. Then she felt it. A large looming presence beyond this space making its way to her. It stopped, another explosion much closer than before, and continued to move. Whatever it was, and it was breaking through the walls of this space.

_Run._

She didn't know if it was her voice or someone else who said the word. Another explosion. Somehow she knew there was only one wall left separating Leia from the dark force. She could feel it approach the last wall.

_Run!_

This time she did. She ran in the other direction of the explosions and the dark force. As she reached the far wall, a rectangular door opened. She ran through it and sensed that it shut immediately as she passed through it. This room was the same as the last. Featureless dull brown. A curved enclosure. No sign of a door. Another explosion. She wobbled losing her balance briefly.

She felt it, the dark presence. It's anger and rage swirled. It was approaching the wall she had just passed. She turned and ran again, making it to the next wall. Again another door open and shut as she ran through.

 _You can not run from me_ , a deep dark voice echoed.

Adrenaline shot through her. She ran faster. She didn't stop. She kept pushing herself forward. Her breathing was labored. Sweat dripped down her back. She went through another. Into another space. Then another door.

For a brief second she became aware of her real body. She felt the heavy fingers digging into her shoulders. Her body tense, hands clenched by her side, and her eyes squeezed shut. The hissing sound of mechanical breathing. Another explosion rocked her back into the dull brown space. Then yet another explosion. The presence was moving faster and catching up to her. She was losing her lead on it.

Leia stumbled through the most recent door. She fell and landed on her knees. The presence was quickly approaching. Her breathing was deep as her body ached for air. She glanced up, but she noticed this room was different. The curved 'wall' ahead was darker. She simply knew this was as deep as the rooms went. There were no more after this.

The wall behind her exploded and the dark presence strode in. Leia looked behind her. It was a swirling mass of blackness in a vague man shape. Anger radiated from it like heat from a fire. Yet she could sense something else. Satisfaction that it had finally caught up to her.

Leia, still sprawled on the ground, attempted to back away. Yet then the presence was simply there. She hadn't seen it move. One moment it was at the opening, the next directly in front of her. It reached down and grabbed her. She felt it dig into her. She let out a scream, and knew that her physical body was also screaming as well.

 _Tell me who you are_ , a deep voice said. It reverberated inside of her.

 _No!_ She shouted back, surprised at her defiance. It was short lived as pain erupted through her as she felt sharp black tendrils dive into her. The tendrils were digging through her. Pulling her apart. The realization hit her. They were digging through her mind. Her memories. Her thoughts. Images of her life flashed before in quick succession as the tendrils worked their way through her mind.

 _No!_ She cried.  _No!_  She tried to push the tendrils out. She tried to push the dark presence away. But it was too strong. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Then suddenly it stopped. Leia took several staggered breaths. She was still in the mental space. The dark presence swirled in front of her, still clasping on to her. Part of her knew this was mirroring the physical world as Darth Vader grabbed her shoulders on the battlefield.

 _Leia_ , the presence said. But this time the voice was different. It wasn't the deep reverberating voice from before. It was almost like a whisper. Uninvited images of her mother flashed through her. Images of Luke. Of Tatooine. Once again the images stopped.  _You know who I am,_  the voice said.

 _No_ , she said softly. Tears fell down her face.

 _You know it to be true_ , the voice said.  _You are mine._

Again Leia pushed against the presence, and she was surprised to find that suddenly it was gone. She was quickly snapped back to her real body. Vader had let go of her. Her body went limp as she slid to the dusty ground.

"These are not my soldiers. What is the meaning of this?" Vader said turning away from Leia. "I called for no reinforcements." Vader stepped between Leia, blocking her from the oncoming stormtroopers appearing through the thinning smoke. It was almost seemed like a protective gesture.

"It is not the rebel princess who will be put out of her misery here today," a new voice said. Leia couldn't tell who it was from. Vader's large form and cape were blocking her view. "It's you, you withered old relic," the new voice said.

"Karbin," Darth Vader said darkly.

"Ah, it's all making sense now, isn't it? How your rival set you up and used you to eliminate the rebels on Vrogas Vas." Leia identified the new voice must be this Karbin person. "So I could swoop in and claim the ultimate prize for myself. Go find the boy!" Leia could see the troopers fanning out to either side of Vader. They were starting to circle him. "And take the princess as well. Kill the other Rebel."

"No," Vader said. He brought his hand and suddenly all the troopers flew away from Vader. "You will win no prizes here today, Karbin. Except a quick death." The red beam of Vader's lightsaber shot forth from the hilt in his hand.

"I'm glad you didn't die without knowing it was Karbin who engineered your doom. And who shall rise ascendant from your ashes!" Vader suddenly lurched forward. For the first time Leia was able to make out Karbin. He was a Mon Calamari, but all of his limbs were prosthetics. He had four arms, all of which held a lightsaber. Vader brought his saber down to meet with one of Karbin's. "To the death, then. At last!" Karbin shouted.

Leia felt hands grab her. She violently flinched. Panic surged through her.

"Leia!" Winter cried. Leia blinked realizing the princess crouched beside her. Again Winter grabbed at Leia, and this time Leia let herself be pulled up. "Let's go!" The two ran through the wasteland, yet Leia already felt winded and tired. She glanced back to see the light of the sabers and two dark shadows dancing and clashing together.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 25**

* * *

Luke awoke to darkness. His eyes quickly adjusted and he could make out the ceiling of his bunk on  _Home One_. He rolled over and could just make out the form of his sleeping roommate on the other bed. Luke's body was still sore from the day's events on Vrogas Vas. Han had claimed Luke had a guardian angel. Luke said it was the Force that had protected him.

Three squads of X-Wings, including Luke's, had been above Vrogas Vas practicing drills when suddenly a lone TIE fighter emerged from hyperspace. It was Darth Vader. Vader made quick work of several of the fighters, and the loss of fighters quickly rose. Despite the presence of three squadrons, no one could land a hit. Vader was too fast. Too skilled. Luke knew it was the power of the Force.

So Luke disobeyed orders and flew his fighter straight at the lone TIE fighter. He was determined to end Vader, but the TIE had swerved at the last minute. Luke's X-Wing had hit to the side instead of dead on. The two ships went spiraling down and crashed on Vrogas Vas.

Luke quietly got of bed. He pulled on a grey jumpsuit and slipped into some boots. He made his way into the bright corridor. He felt sluggish as he made his way through the ship. He had been plagued with a bad headache for hours now. Yet that wasn't why he walked into the medbay.

The medbay was quiet. Luke didn't spot any sentient attendants, just the med droids. None of them bothered him as he made his way over to the bed where Leia slept. He kicked off his boots and curled up in the chair next to her bed.

Han and Chewie had brought both Luke and Leia to the medbay as soon as the  _Millenium Falcon_  returned from Vrogas Vas. The medical staff quickly dismissed Luke after applying some patches and bandages and giving him a few shots of medicine. He only had some scrapes, sprains, and a light concussion. They were going to place him on medical leave for two days. Leia had a bad fever, and the med staff decided to keep her overnight for observation. All the tests they had run had come back negative. The doctor theorized it may be stress or anxiety related from being on the battlefield.

Luke hoped that was it. Winter had told him on the  _Falcon_ what had happened. Leia had met with Darth Vader on Vrogas Vas. Winter said he had grabbed her, and the two stood that way for several minutes. Leia had been screaming, tensed in pain at whatever Vader was doing to her.

"Sorry," Luke whispered to his sister. If only he had aimed his ship better.

He hoped the doctor's were right in that it was only a bad fever plaguing his sister. Only just the stress of the battlefield. If it was something else, something to do with the Force, then not even Luke would know how to fix his sister. He may call himself a Jedi, but he barely knew anything about being one.

He awoke several hours later. Sana Starros was shaking him. He blinked a few times before stretching out. His neck hurt from sleeping in the chair. Sana told him to leave, but Luke protested.

"Skywalker, you're going to do her no good if she wakes up to see you looking half dead and passed out in the chair next to her," Sana remarked.

"Half dead?" Luke asked.

"Yes, that's what you look like. Go eat and go get some sleep. Proper sleep. In a bed. Preferably in your bunk."

After swinging by the mess hall, Luke made his way back to his bunk. Perhaps Sana was right. Luke didn't feel completely well. He hadn't healed yet. When he returned to his bunk, his roommate Wedge was gone. Luke shuffled into the room and kicked off his boots. That is when he noticed his commlink on the floor giving off a soft buzz. He picked it up. His mother had sent him a message.

He sat down on his bed and pressed the button to send a call to her. He had to wait 40 minutes until she accepted the call. He started to fall asleep when the com beeped and he heard his mother's voice.

"Luke?" she called.

"Hey mom," he mumbled drowsily.

"Were you sleeping?"

"I just dozed off for a second while waiting for you," Luke responded. The line was quiet for a moment. Luke could imagine his mother frowning.

"Are you getting enough sleep? They're not pushing you too hard?" his mother asked.

"No. No. I'm fine, Mom. I just didn't sleep well last night. Bad headache. I had a bit of a . . . rough landing in my fighter." Luke hoped that placated his mother. Again the line was silent for a bit. Guilt was slowly seeping up inside Luke. He didn't like lying to his mother, but he also didn't want to over worry her either. Plus no matter how he worded it, his mother would freak out to learn he done a nearly-suicidal crash into Darth Vader in an attempt to kill him.

"How's Leia?" she finally asked.

"She's sick," Luke said a bit nonchalantly as he was ready to get the conversation away from his crash, yet he immediately regretted it.

"Sick?" His mother's voice was laced with worry.

"She's fine. Just a fever. She's sleeping it off right now. She already saw a doctor. They're going to check with her when she wakes up," Luke lied.

"Luke," his mother said softly. "Just . . . just take of her, all right?"

Luke agreed and explained he had just visited Leia an hour earlier. He then moved the conversation to how his mother was doing. She explained the relief efforts on Brolsam were running smoothly, and she had almost finished training her replacements.

"I should be able to return soon," his mother said.

"That's great," Luke replied.

"I need to go, but Luke? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah . . . I know."

"I love you," she said.

"I love you, too," he replied and the call ended.

* * *

Vader sat in his private medical quarters aboard the  _Devastator_. The room had been specifically made for Vader. It had been sealed off and now super oxygenated air flowed through the room, allowing Vader to take off his mask. He sat hunched over in a backless chair as droids took off the top part of his armor and suit. During his duel with Karbin, he had received a lightsaber blow to his back. While he wasn't physically injured from such a pathetic blow, his suit was in need of maintenance.

The droids pulled the suit off his back and over his head. He clenched his teeth as he felt his skin tearing as it separated from the suit. The droids silently worked as they went about scrubbing the dead skin off his exposed back. Another pair of droids worked on laying out a new top, while a third started repairs on the damaged one. Vader let his mind wander knowing the droids, which he had personally designed and built, would do their jobs well.

His mind went back to the events on Vrogas Vas. A slicing cold anger surged through him. He had been so close. He almost had the boy and the girl . . . He literally had his daughter in his grasp. He stopped at that thought. He had met his daughter. He tried to recall her face, but he hadn't gotten a good look at her. He had been too focused on breaking down her mental shields through the Force to confirm her identity. When he had seen her, the Force was calling to him. There was something about the girl. He had to find out. When she didn't reveal her name willingly, he took matter into his own hands. He tore into her mind using the Force.

He could tell she hadn't been trained in the ways of the Force. Her shields felt natural, not man-made. He was impressed and pleased with his daughter's natural strength, yet at the same time he quickly remembered his anger and annoyance at having to break down those shields. It had taken way longer than Vader thought and wasted precious minutes. If he hadn't been so preoccupied with her, he might have noticed Karbin's approach sooner.

 _Karbin_ , Vader thought. His anger felt like blades inside of him slashing through him. He could feel the dark side hovering just out of reach, eagerly waiting for Vader to call upon it. Waiting to soak up his anger and give him power.

The only good thing that had come out of Vrogas Vas was that Karbin was dead. Crushed under a spaceship and rocks. Karbin had called himself Vader's rival, but Vader suffered no rivals. Once Karbin was dead, Vader had seen to it personally that even in death Karbin could claim no prizes. He made sure Karbin's men failed in their attempts to seize the pilot who shot down the Death Star. The boy, his son.

Once Vader was back on board the  _Devastator_ , he made sure that Karbin's ship was captured and his officers executed. Karbin's files and personal effects had been collected and purged. Vader would allow no one else to use Karbin's intel to track down his son.

A small beep brought Vader out of his thoughts. He glanced at the table to his right. It felt weird to see without the helmet. The photoptics provided enhanced vision. Seeing with natural eyes now felt weak.

On the table sat a datapad. His glove-less metal hand grabbed it and brought it up to him. It was a report from his agents on Brolsam. A still image filled the datapad's screen. It was a woman, middle aged. Her hair was twisted into a bun on the back of her head. She was looking away from the camera, off towards something the camera didn't catch. Vader knew her the moment he saw her. His breath caught.

_Padmé._

She had aged. There were wrinkles by the corner of her eyes and mouth and along her brow. He could make out some graying hair. Yet she still looked as he remembered her. Beautiful. Elegant despite the tawdry jumpsuit.

The images he had pulled from the girl's mind came to him. He recalled large parts of the girl's life on Tatooine, for of course he would recognize that miserable planet anywhere. He saw Padmé along with the girl and the boy. His son and daughter. Luke and Leia. Only a few memory flashes were not on Tatooine. Luke in a Rebel orange flight jumpsuit. Padmé laying on military style bed.

Then came the memory of the girl's fear. Her absolute terror of him, her father. She had known. She had known Vader was her father, and she was terrified on him. What lies had been fed to his children? Had Padmé turned their own children against him? Or had it been Kenobi? He couldn't help but wonder what tale Kenobi spun about the events at Mustafar. What lies did the Jedi spit to woo his wife with their children away from him?

A black rage surged through him. Kenobi had kept his family from him. For nineteen years. Vader could feel the deep gaping wound left from the loss of Padmé and their unborn child. A wound he had tried to cover up and burry deep within himself, but the wound had never healed. He raged seared the edges of his wound, which only made it hurt more. The pain led to deeper anger which led to more power with the dark side.

Vader finally let the Force in. He could feel it filling him. It welcomed and delighted in his anger and pain. A sudden thought occurred to him. Would this horrible wound inside of him heal once he had Padmé and his children back? Would he be able to feel whole?

He hadn't noticed on the dark side in him had diminished from it's brutal rage a moment before. He wasn't aware of the anger subsiding, which just left the pain, the sadness, the unrelenting grief of losing his beautiful wife and the small wonder of his child. He sat there, breathing heavily and naturally without his mask on. Yet they weren't loss. They were out there. A new emotion was lurking inside him, but it was one Vader hadn't felt in a long time. He was no long familiar with it. He puzzled over it for a moment. What was it? Longing? Wistfulness? Hope?

The droids had finished cleaning and medicating his skin. They were ready to put the suit back on. Vader went back to the report from his agents. They wanted to know if they should proceed with the mission. Vader sent them permission to go ahead.

Yes Vrogas Vas had been failure, but it had also been spontaneous. It had not been apart of any of Vader's other plans. He had received the information that the boy was at the planet, and he acted upon it immediately. Luckily this failure hadn't affected any of his other plans. If anything it now allowed him to move a bit easier with Karbin out of the way. Vader put the datapad back on the table as the droids started to dress him back in his suit.


	27. Chapter 27

Padmé sat on the worn wooden table in the house she lived in on Brolsam. The house belong to a childless couple about the same age as Padmé. Both were involved with the relief effort. Padmé wouldn't call them Rebels. These people had been starving and dying. When the Empire didn't provide them help, they simply looked elsewhere. Yet Padmé knew, according to the Empire, asking for such help _was_  an act of rebellion.

Padmé stood up and collected her dishes she had used to eat her mid-day meal with. She took them to the kitchen. The owners of the house were currently gone, out working in the fields. As she washed the dishes, she felt her mind going several different ways.

She thought about her conversation with Luke. He was hiding something. She hadn't gotten the whole truth from him. Whatever it was he wasn't telling her, she hoped it was nothing serious. She thought about Leia as well. She hoped Luke was at least telling her the truth about Leia, that she had fever and nothing more. Padmé would try to call again soon to check in with the children.

She was going to send her report to the Alliance today, and report her job was done. Brolsam would be able to handle their own relief efforts now. She was ready to be recalled. She was ready to see her children.

Yet her mind went to the people of Brolsam. She couldn't believe the conditions they lived in. The way they were treated by the Empire. She knew there was slavery in the galaxy. She had seen it first hand on Tatooine. However, Tatooine was ruled by the Hutts. Brolsam was under Imperial rule, which in some way used to be the Republic. Padmé couldn't believe how far the ideals of a fair and just Republic had fallen. The conditions these people lived in, the labor they were forced to do, for the compensation they received was criminal. She had been around to several villages on the planet. The one she lived at was one of the better-off ones. She was able to blend in better here.

There were villages that were much worse. The humans and Rodians were horribly emaciated. The humans' skin would be so thin that all their bones would be showing. The Rodian's scales would be pale and flakey. Their antennas hung loosely from their heads. Both humans and Rodians were incredibly weak. Many collapsed in the fields, some dying on the spot. Corpses were piled on the edge of the villages, waiting to be collected. They were taken to the large compost piles. The bodies were stripped and thrown into the compost to slowly rot and turn into fertilizer. The villagers would then shovel the fertilizer out of trucks and into the fields. Their loved ones staining their clothes and hands.

The Fefze insectoids were listless in these villages. Though they didn't suffer from starvation, as they could eat almost anything, they were cruelly subjugated nonetheless. If the Fefze gave any of their nutritional waste away without proper authorization, they would be gassed. Dozen of members of the swarm would fall sick and many would die. The nests would be raided. The eggs smashed and smeared across the ground. There was no music or dancing from the swarms of Fefze Padmé met in these villages.

Finished with cleaning the dishes, Padmé made her way back to her room. A circular table sat in one corner with a few datapads. Padmé wanted to finish her report for the Alliance and get it sent off as soon as possible. She couldn't help but wonder what else was happening in the galaxy. She thought back to what Mon Mothma had said when they met on Yavin IV.  _"While you were hiding the galaxy only got worse. If you really want to protect your children, you should be working to restore democracy."_

She was now more painfully aware of what Mon meant. Padmé had been so wrapped up with herself, so focused on her children, on Darth Vader, that she hadn't even bothered to look at what else was going on. Now she was curious. She would research into the state of the galaxy when she returned. However, she wanted to play it carefully. She didn't want to appear too eager, and she didn't want to be stationed too far or too long away from her children.

She was proofreading the report when she heard buzzing coming from inside the house. She left her bedroom to find a small swarm of Fefze scurrying around the living area. The large meter-big insects were constantly moving. Unless they were eating or sleeping, she rarely saw them stand still. Even now they dashed about along the room, some going in and out of the kitchen. A few climbed over each other.

" _Mae Lars_ ," they said. They talked by rubbing and clicking their antennae together. She was surprised at how through such means it came off clearly as the basic language. " _The Nat'xikta clan has been spotted coming this way. You should hide._ " The Nat'xikta clan was a large swarm of Fefze that supported the Imperials and often acted as spies for them.

Padmé dashed back into her room, grabbed a bag that had been stuffed under her bed, and rushed back out. She followed the small swarm of Fefze through town. She already knew where to go. They already had a plan for her in case Imperials came around.

The Fefze had wings, but could only fly for short distances. Every now and then a few would fly into the air, but the majority of the swarm dashed along the ground in front of her. She followed the insects into a large warehouse, which was one of five on the edge of town. She entered the main hallway. Other halls branched off from this one. The Fefze would dash ahead of her, go out of sight, but then return back to her quickly urging her on. She pulled her bag to her chest and rummaged through it for her blaster. She could see the open doorway into the large storage room. The Fefze ran ahead into the room. Right as Padmé reached the door, they came back out.

" _Hurry_ ," they buzzed.

She entered the large store room. Large metal crates filled the room. It smelled of dirt and leaves. She entered the maze of crates, which were almost twice as tall as she was. The Fefze scurried right in front of Padmé. They turned a corner of one of the crates, and as Padmé turned the corner she was suddenly met with a cloud of smoke. High pitched noises filled her ears. The noise was painful. Padmé fell to the ground, coughing, her eyes watering, and ears ringing. She wiped her eyes with a sleeve and noticed the Fefze scattered along the ground. They were still and rigid. A few of the black insects twitched.

Suddenly she felt something slam into her back. The air was knocked out of her. Hands were grabbing at her arms as she pulled up and dragged back into the main area of the store room near the door. She was still coughing from the gas and blinking furiously to try and clear her eyes. She was pushed onto the hard floor. She took the opportunity to wipe her eyes with her sleeve.

"Is this her?" a voice said behind her. An immediate chill crawled up her spine. The voice wasn't natural. It sounded like it was come through a speaker. She whipped her head up and looked behind her. Though her vision was still blurry, she could easily make out the white stormtrooper armor. There were four of them standing behind her.

"Yeah that's her," a voice said to her side. She turned to see the speaker, but could only make out a blurry human shape. They weren't dressed in the white trooper armor nor an Imperial uniform. A trooper approached the mystery person. The trooper handed the person something.

 _Payment_ , Padmé realized. Yet she wasn't given any more time to think about it. Rough hands grabbed at her arms again. Her arms were pulled back and she could feel binders being clasped on her wrists.

Adrenaline hit Padmé. She launched to her feet, but the hands quickly grabbed her. She struggled against them. Pulled away from them. She tried to kick at them. She let herself go limp, then would kick off the ground in an effort to smash into one of the troopers to knock them off balance. A fist slammed into her stomach. She fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Careful!" a trooper barked. "Our orders are to bring her back unharmed!"

"Just calming her down, sir," another trooper replied.

Padmé was limp as again the trooper's grabbed her bound arms. She didn't resist as they dragged her from the warehouse.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 27**

* * *

Leia swung the lightsaber down and then quickly slashed it out to the side. Her sides hurt, and there was a cramp in her left leg. Her hair was pulled up in hasty, sloppy bun. She wore a simple long-sleeved white shirt and some loose gray pants. She was barefooted as her boots had been kicked off to the side. She was starting to break out into a sweat, but pushed herself on. She stepped and sliced, stepped, and slashed.

She was in Luke's training room. There were no seeker droids, just her and the lightsaber. She had woken up in the medbay a few hours earlier. After some tests, the doctor released her saying she should take it easy and rest. She had returned to her bunk with the honest intentions of following the doctor's orders. However, she had a hard time resting. Sleep eluded her. Instead memories of Vrogas Vas kept replaying in her head over and over.

" _Tell me who you are."_

She could still feel Darth Vader's grip on her shoulders. If she was quiet enough she could hear a faint echo of the mechanical respirator breathing. She recalled not being able to move. How every muscle in her body ached and strained to run away, but simply couldn't.

" _You can not run from me."_

She could still feel his oily, burning, angry presence in her mind. Her skin crawled thinking about the dark tendrils tearing through her memories. Her mind felt violated. Shattered. Something that was supposed to be sacred, only for her, had been blasted apart.

" _You know it to be true. You are mine."_

She let out a scream as she slashed furiously at the air with the blue lightsaber. She hated the man. She hated how powerless he made her feel. She couldn't do anything standing in front of him. She had a thought that if only she had a weapon. If only she had the lightsaber. This is what brought her to the training room.

She stopped. Her shoulders dropped. The lightsaber lazily pointed to the ground. She asked herself if having a weapon, having a lightsaber, really would have made a difference. She recalled talking to Luke after his confrontation with Vader on Cymoon 1. He said he never stood a chance. Vader had taken his lightsaber right from his hand.

_Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._

_No_! She shouted at herself. She was tired of hiding and running. She brought the saber back up and continued lashing it through the air.  _Hadn't you wanted to run?_  A voice whispered to her.  _Isn't that the only thing you desperately wanted to do when he had you? To run away? To hide?_

She hated him! She hated him for everything he had done to her and her family. Several images flashed through Leia's mind. Her mother's hands going up to her throat, her eyes wide and full of fear. Luke battered and bruised slumped in the _Falcon_ , grabbing his side in pain. Leia's feet tripping over dead bodies in the dust on Vrogas Vas. The swirling angry presence that had invaded her mind. Lastly she saw his mask. The black skull like mask leering down at her. Her own scared face reflecting back at her on the mask's surface.

" _You are mine."_

"No!" she shouted out loud. She slashed again and again with the lightsaber. She slashed as if she was slashing him. Slashing away his words. His presence. She wanted every trace of him gone from her.

"Leia?"

Leia stopped. She was panting. Her body screamed at her. Her muscles ached and burned. Luke stood in the doorway with one hand resting on the door frame. He wore a simple grey jumpsuit. His long blonde hair was disheveled. His blue eyes were a bit wide as he took in the sight of his sister. She saw his eyes travel down to her hands. She became aware of the lightsaber. She quickly deactivated.

"What is that?" Luke asked as he walked in. "What is going on?" Leia let her body take in deep breaths, but she didn't respond to her brother. "Are you alright?" he asked as he stopped right in front of her.

"I- I'm fine," she said.

"Really?" Luke asked. "None of this looks fine to me."

"I . . . I . . ." she said between breaths. She gave up on talking and gave in to her body's demand to rest. She sat down on the floor. Luke followed, sitting directly in front of her. He waited while her breath became more even.

"I don't think you should be up and about like this," Luke said. "You just go out of the medbay-"

"I'm fine," she interrupted him. "I just couldn't sleep. I just . . . I couldn't . . ." She was tripping over her words.

"Get his voice out of your head?"

Leia snapped her full attention on her brother. He was staring intently at her with his icy blue eyes. Yet his brow was creased with worry or concern.

"How . . . how did you know?"

Luke sighed. "It happened to me. After Cymoon 1. I . . . I couldn't get his voice out of my head. His words kept repeating. Over and over I heard that deep voice call me pathetic. That I was no Jedi. The Force would never be with me." A smile crept onto Luke's face. "I came here too. To try and chase the voice away."

Leia couldn't help but smile at that as well. She enjoyed the solidarity with her twin. Both experiencing the same thing. Both reacting the same way.

"Did it work?" she asked.

"No," he said. His eyes fell to the floor. "I ran away remember?" Leia wanted to argue with him. He hadn't run away. He had gone to look for answers. He had come back somewhat renewed. Confident.

"Luke-" she started to say, but he interrupted her.

"You can do better than me, Leia," he again raised his eyes to meet hers. "You're stronger than me."

"I don't know about that. I don't know if I can get over this Luke. He . . . he  _knew_ ,Luke." Luke frowned, but said nothing. Leia continued, "He got into my mind. He knew my name. He . . . he . . ."

"Leia . . ." Luke said as scooted closer to her.

"He said,'You are mine.' Luke, he knew I was his daughter. He knows about me." She couldn't stop the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She cursed at herself for allowing her emotions to cause such a reaction. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "What are the two of us doing? What in the Force were we even thinking?"

"Leia, you can't think like that!"

"You said it yourself! You said you didn't even stand chance against him. You said Mom was right. She  _was_  right. We should have stayed hidden."

"Ok, so Mom was right," Luke said. Leia looked at him a bit surprised. She hadn't expected him to agree with her. "But we're not hidden anymore," he continued. "Going back into hiding won't help anything either. So . . . so we have to keep moving forward. You know what you said? When we learned the truth about our father? 'I won't live my entire life in fear.' Mom was right, in a way. But so were you. Even after Cymoon 1. You told me I could no longer just sit here and do nothing."

Leia blushed embarrassed. She couldn't believe her brother remembered something she might have said from three years ago.

Luke continued, "We can't let him get to us. We have to be better than this. We have to be better than him."

Leia wanted to take strength in her brother's words. But the fear was still there. What did Luke know? His mind hadn't been torn apart. His memories hadn't been displayed in front of him.

Feet were heard running down the hallway outside. Luke's training room was out of the way from any main corridors. Not many people carelessly walked by. Han appeared in the door. It was clear he had been running. His face was red and he was a out of breath.

"There you two  _kriffin_  are," he said after a short pause. "Don't either of you two carry your coms with you? Aren't you both supposed to be on bed rest or something?"

Luke stood up, but Leia stayed seated.

"Something wrong?" Luke asked.

"Yeah," Han said. "They're looking for you. High Council. Something about your mother."

The fear was instantly gripping Leia's heart. She could feel its coldness spreading inside of her. Luke glanced back at her. Neither said anything as they left the training room and Han behind and hurried to meet with the leaders of the Alliance. They made it to the High Council room.

A large holotable sat in the middle of the room. Several individuals stood around the table. Some of which Leia recognized as members of the High Council, but she didn't recognize all of them. The only three members she recognized were Chancellor Mothma, General Dodonna, and Admiral Ackbar. Mothma and Ackbar were easy to tell apart, because beside Leia the rest were all human males.

"Lieutenant Skywalker. Lars," General Dodonna welcomed. The twins walked over to the large holotable. Dodonna introduced the others standing around the table: Chief Cracken, General Grafis, Colonel Cor, Colonel Haxen, General Draven, General Madine, and Major Harinar.

"We've just received an emergency transmission from Brolsam," Chancellor Mothma explained. "It appears your mother has been captured by Imperial troops."

"What?" both Leia and Luke shouted in unison.

"A swarm of dead of Fefze was found in the warehouse that was planned to be used a hide out in case of any Imperial activity in the village Lars was stationed at," one member of the Alliance explained. Leia thought it was possibly Chief Cracken. "An unscheduled produce transport arrived at the warehouse, but didn't stay long. No crates were logged leaving the warehouse, and none of the inventory missing. We believe Lars was taken by Imperial troops at the warehouse."

"You  _believe_?" Leia asked. She couldn't believe the Alliance High Command wasn't certain about whether or not her mother had been taken.

Luke quickly asked, "What's the plan to rescue her?"

A few of the High Council members exchanced uneasy glances with each other. It was Chancellor Mothma who spoke up.

"There is currently no plan to investigate or free Agent Lars," she said. Both Luke and Leia immediately spoke out against this. The chancellor raised her hand and the two quieted down. "I understand that this is your mother, and you are both understandably upset. However, Agent Lars is a low level member of the Alliance. She doesn't know any key information about the Alliance. She knew the risks when she went to Brolsam. We just don't have the resources for any rescue."

"We're also lacking proper Intelligence on the situation," Chief Cracken added. "Agent Lars was our only official member on the planet. There are some underground rebel cells there, but they are unaffiliated with us."

"Then I'll go!" Luke volunteered.

"No Lieutenant," a brown skinned man ordered.

"Colonel Cor-" Luke started.

"You were put on medical leave after yesterday's events. That has yet to be lifted," Colonel Cor explained.

"I'm fine!" Luke pleaded. "I can-"

"You have forgotten your insubordination from Vrogas Vas," a new voice came in. The man had blonde hair and his uniform insignia marked him as a general, but Leia couldn't place the man's name. "You had orders to keep your position, Lieutenant. You disobeyed them."

"General Draven, sir, I had to do something! Vader was shooting down everyone!"

"Yes and your reckless actions crashed your fighter and cost you your life," General Draven said harshly.

"If I didn't take down Vader, we would have lost more fighters than we already did," Luke explained. He wasn't backing down from Draven.

"Which hasn't gone unnoticed," Chancellor Mothma said. She eyed General Draven sternly, but the general didn't shy back. He clearly looked irritated. "It was planned to have a hearing about your actions on Vrogas Vas pending your release from medical leave. I called you here as a courtesy to your mother. One of her conditions for joining the Alliance was for to be kept up to date on your missions, as such I feel that could be applied in reverse as well. If we get any new information, we shall inform you."


	29. Chapter 29

"The first thing is getting safely away from the Alliance fleet," Luke said. He sat in the main hold of the Millenium Falcon. Leia stood nearby with her arms crossed as she looked from Luke, Chewbacca, Han, and R2-D2. After meeting with the Alliance High Command, Luke and Leia had gone off in search of Winter Organa, who was absent at the meeting. They discovered she had left mere hours earlier with Sana on a mission to Sunspot Prison.

Luke and Leia had then separated to their own bunks. They both changed, gathered a few belongings, before meeting back up on the Falcon. Luke wore his casual clothes: the tan yellow jacket, black shirt, tall boots, and a belt with a blaster holster. Leia wasn't wearing her normal Winter-loaned white jumpsuit. She wore grey pants with a white top. She wore a long green vest which draped over her belt and blaster holder. It reminded Luke a bit of the clothes she might have worn on Tatooine.

"You don't think I can't get away from these small fry Alliance fighters?" Han said. Luke just glanced at Han. He knew Han was a good pilot, but he also knew his fellow fighter pilots.

"Remember right after Yavin when Winter left to find survivors of Alderaan? Wedge and I were sent out to stop her." Luke didn't add that only Wedge and Luke were sent out as they were the only surviving members of the Red Squadron after the Battle of Yavin.

"Yeah and she got away," Han added.

"Because Evaan put a decoy hyperdrive on top of her ship. Wedge and I successfully shot it off, thinking we had disabled the ship."

"So, we need a decoy hyperdrive?" Han asked.

"No. That ploy may not work again," Luke said. "But I do think we'll have to be smart to get away. We don't have clearance to leave."

Quiet filled the hold as the occupants thought of the best way to get away from the Alliance fleet and get to Brolsam. They started to formulate a plan, but there was a bit of arguing on the finer points. It wasn't as easy as slipping by Imperials. They could be shot down. Luke wasn't going to shoot down any of his fellow pilots. Thus the best way out, would be one without a fight if they could manage.

Suddenly the hold got quiet as steps were heard coming up the loading ramp and down the curved hallway. Colonel Cor and General Forell walked in. Luke jumped up and saluted. Han rolled his eyes while Chewie let out a small irritated roar at the unwelcomed guests. Colonel Cor was a brown skinned human male, who Luke guessed to be in his upper thirties or lower forties. General Forell was an older pale skin human male. His long dirty blonde hair was graying and thinning on the top of his head.

"At ease," the colonel said with a wave of his hand.

"I don't remember inviting you two on to my ship," Han said.

"Captain Solo I've come with a new mission for you," General Forell said. Luke's mind race as he tried to place what exactly the general's job was. Luke knew of the man as a member of the Alliance High Council, but otherwise Luke hadn't personally dealt with Forell.

"Well I ain't accepting jobs right now," Han said.

"I assure you, Captain Solo, you'll want to take this one," the general said as he drew a datapad from his green military jacket. He held it out towards Han. Han hesitated a bit, taking a glance at Luke and Leia, before walking over and grabbing it.

"Brolsam?" Han said after a minute of looking over the datapad. Luke's heart jumped.

"Yes. I want you to do a supply run to Brolsam for their relief aid," the general explained. All eyes were on him. "You are to leave immediately."

Chewie let out a roar. Han translated, "Yeah, what's the cargo?"

The general raised an eyebrow and smirked. He waved his hand at Luke and Leia. "It appears your cargo is already on board," the general said amused.

"Wait, are you asking me to take Luke and Leia here to Brolsam?" Han asked.

"That's the gist of it, yes."

"Why?" Luke asked finally finding his voice. "The High Council made it pretty clear I wasn't to leave, especially since I'm still on medical leave."

The general glanced over at the colonel. Colonel Cor was the one directly in charge of the star fighter pilots, which made him Luke's superior officer. Cor had worked under General Merrick, who was leader of the Blue Squadron. Yet, Marrickl had perished during the fight over Scarif. There were some rumors amongst the pilots that the Council might promote Cor to general soon. Cor was a good leader, if not a bit strict and quick to pass out demerits.

"Well Lieutenant," Colonel Cor spoke up, "Turns out the doctors have released you and your sister from your medical leave."

"What about my hearing regarding not following orders over Vrogas Vas?" Luke pressed the colonel.

The colonel shrugged. He didn't seem worried about it all. "We'll get to it. Eventually."

"I thought the Alliance wasn't going to send a rescue squad to Brolsam," Han said. He was still on edge.

General Forell spoke up. "You're right. Officially speaking, the Alliance is not sending any rescue to retrieve Agent Lars. You are to transport relief supplies to Brolsam."

A small silence filled the hold.

"You're going behind the other members of the High Council's backs," Han said slowly.

"This supply mission has been ordered by the chancellor," General Forell stated simply. "But keep in mind," the general stopped and looked pointedly at Luke, "the Alliance will not provide military aid for non-Alliance agents that are going off a simple supply run." Luke understood the warning. They were letting Leia and him go to Brolsam, but alone and not to expect any backup. Luke nodded to communicate his understanding.

The general clapped his hands in front of him. "Good. Everything seems to be in order. You'll find your clearance codes on the datapad. The Force be with you Lieutenant Skywalker, Agent Lars, Captain Solo." The general walked out of the hold leaving the colonel behind.

"Thank you, Colonel," Luke said.

"Just try not to lose any more X-wings, Skywalker," the colonel said. "They're not cheap." Then he too left the ship. Luke had wanted to comment back to the colonel that so far he'd only lost two, the recent fighter he crashed on Vrogas Vas and the one they had to abandon on Nar Shaddaa.

It was R2 who broke the silence with a series of whistles and beeps. He wanted to know what they were waiting for. Luke couldn't help but smile a bit.

As promised by the general, the Falcon was able to leave the fleet without any problems. Luke had asked Han what exactly was General Forell's job. Turns out he was in charge of the Support Services, or transportation as Han explained. He was the one who employed Han. The hyperdrive trip to Brolsam was spent going over all the information they had.

Brolsam sat in the Kothal Sector in the outer rim. The sector was connected to the core worlds via the Rimma Trade Route which ended at the Kothal Sector capital world of Kal'Shebbol. The rest of the sector was connected via the Trition Trade Route. Moff Kentor Sarne held control over the sector. He had the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Raptor under his command.

There wasn't much information about Brolsam that Luke didn't already know from his mother. The Alliance had no official agents on the planet besides Luke's mother. The planet had requested aid after a series of massive storms had torn up the fields of the agriculture world. The datapad that the general had given Han contained the corridorants to the village Luke's mother had been stationed at. They figured it was the best place to start.

They exited hyperspace a small bit away from the planet. They were able to get a good look at it. No sight of any star destroyer or any Imperial military craft. A few cargo ships were seen coming and going, but otherwise all orbital traffic was calm. Han piloted the Falcon down to the planet towards the village.

While Luke had been to several other planets since joining the Alliance, he was always amazed at each and every one of them. Brolsam was no different. As far as the eye could see were fields. Han grumbled saying there wasn't much cover for him to hide the Falcon.

"We're going to have to land in a field," Han mumbled more to himself then to anyone else. "Hope the locals don't come after us with pitchforks for landing on their crops."

Han found what appeared to be a dirt field near the village. Using the information on the datapad, they sent a message via commlink to the members of the relief aid. They responded saying they would meet the party at the edge of the village at nightfall. Once darkness fell, Han, Leia, and Luke left the ship. Chewbacca stayed on board as the Wookie would attract too much attention. R2-D2 would stay to help watch the scanners for any Imperial activity.

They walked in silence along the dirt paths that bordered the fields. There was a loud shuffling noise ahead. Something was coming. All three humans brought up their blasters. Luke could sense something coming through the Force, but it felt odd. It felt like one thing, but also lots of things. He didn't know what that meant. A large black insect appeared. Then another and another. Han held his gun tightly.

"Are you the rebels?" an odd voice asked. It sounded like a stringed instrument mixed with a buzzing sound with some clicks thrown in. Han was looking around to see where the speaker was.

"It's the Fefze," Leia said softly.

"The what?" Han asked.

"The insects. They're the Fefze." She turned to the insectoids. "Yes we're the Rebels."

"Follow us," the Fefze said before they turned around and scurried ahead of them.

"I don't do bugs," Han hissed lowly at Luke and Leia.

"They're sentients," Leia hissed back at him.

"I don't care if they're a swarm of the brightest geniuses in the galaxy," Han shot back. "I don't do bugs."

The walk through the fields wasn't much longer before they reached the village. Two male humans waited at the edge. One was younger about the same age as Han, while the other older. The Fefze scurried off leaving the trio alone with these new humans. The humans didn't say anything but waved for Luke to follow. As they walked into the warm light of the village, suddenly tons of Fefze appeared. Some of the large insects flitted up to the sky, but they didn't stay airborne for long before gliding back down. A strange music filled the air. Luke, Leia, and Han could only stare open mouthed at the scene.

"Keep moving," one man said. They walked under and through the swarm of Fefze. Through the swarming insects Luke was able to make out the buildings of the village. Large twisting unnatural vines came out of the ground. They swirled and snaked alongside the outside walls of the buildings. Between the wood were patterns and designs carved into clay. Finally the two humans ushered them into a warmly lit house.

"What was that?" Han asked as soon as the door was shut. "With all those bugs?"

"Cover," said the older one. "The Fefze were singing and dancing. Allowing us to sneak into the village without much notice."

"So you're the Rebels," the younger man said. "You don't look like much."

Luke spoke up before Han could. "I'm Luke Lars. This is my sister Leia. What can you tell us about our mother?" Luke had decided to not go with the name Skywalker, reverting back to his old name. This wasn't the time to play Hero of the Alliance, the Pilot Who Shot Down the Death Star. This was about rescuing his mom.


	30. Chapter 30

Padmé was laying on the metal bench that doubled as a bed in her cell. The cell wasn't much. It was small, dimly lit, and made from dark plates of durasteel. Her bench-bed stretched from one end of the cell to the other. In a corner near the door was a very basic fresher.

Padmé wasn't completely sure how much time had passed since she had been thrown in here. There was a slot in the door that would open up and two Fefze nutrition bars would slide in. Yet Padmé had discovered the times between these feedings were inconsistent. Her best guess was she had been in here at least three days if not five.

Her first thought was of her children. Surely by now Padmé's absence had been noted by the Alliance. Had Luke and Leia been informed? Were the two alright? Were they together? Or was Luke off on another starfighter mission? Leia off on the  _Millennium Falcon_?

Her second thought went to the Imperials holding her here. The Imperials had yet to talk to her. In fact she had yet to see or hear from anyone. The only thing that came into the room was the nutrition bars. The fact she hadn't been interrogated yet sent shivers through her.

 _Why?_ Padmé asked herself.  _Why haven't they questioned me? Why bring me here at all?_ The Nat'xikta Fefze clan or whoever that person was in the warehouse had discovered she was a Rebel. Why else sell her out to the troopers? And why leave in her for so long? She recalled the trooper's captain's words: the orders were to bring her back unharmed.

_Whose orders? And why?_

_Vader. Anakin._

Fear shot through her. Tore at her heart. Dragged it down inside of her into icy water.  _It couldn't be, could it?_  Had Vader discovered her that quick? What of Luke and Leia? Were they also captured? If they weren't, were they in danger?

The waiting in the cell was horrible. Sleep often evaded her. Her heartbeat felt constantly up, pounding hard from her anxiety and stress. She wished that someone would come, that they would take her away and interrogate her. At least that would give her some information about what was going on. Some clue on the safety of her children. But they hadn't.

_What are they waiting on?_

Then a small thought sneaked it's way in to her thoughts.  _Travel time._  She wasn't aware her heart could hurt more than it did. Yet it felt squeezed and kept in a tight grip. She found her breath shallow. If Darth Vader was truly behind this, why would he let anyone else near her? The Sith Lord was notorious for his torturous interrogations, and this one was going to be personal. He wouldn't want second-hand goods. Not for her. How long did she have? That depended on how far away in the galaxy Vader was from Brolsam.

Suddenly there was a clicking noise. Padmé stood up straight. Her whole body tense as the door to the cell slid open. Two troopers in white armor stood on the other side. One held a blaster, the other a pair of binders.

Once her hands were secured behind her back, they led her down the long hall of cell doors. They shortly came to a turbolift. Once inside she noted from the lift display panel it was a short ride down to the main floor. They exited into a large room. In front of her was a large desk where an Imperial officer sat watching her approach.

Beyond the desk stood another officer, a major from what Padmé could make out from his uniform. He had dark tanned skin and black short shorn hair. He stood straight, his eyes half-lidded. It looked like he was a bit disgusted seeing the prisoner.

Padmé assumed this was the man to take her to Darth Vader. The major had a trooper with him as well as another officer. A lieutenant from the looks of the rank insignia plaque. Her eyes traveled up from the rank plates to the lieutenant's face. He looked young-

_Luke!_

Her eyes met the undeniable blue eyes of her son. He was looking straight at her. She skipped a step and her eyes were wide, but otherwise she gave no other outward appearance that she recognized her son. She quickly glanced back at the Major. However, she didn't recognize him. Hopefully her shocked appearance lent itself into her current situation of being a prisoner. She wasn't sure who was a true Imperial, and she didn't want to give anything away.

Everything seem to go smoothly. The two troopers deposited her over to the major. Luke grabbed her arm and the trooper next to him stood on Padmé's other side. The major exchanged some words with the officer at the desk, before he did a quick about-face. He quickly scanned Padmé up and down, his face still looking irritated. He marched out of the building, and Luke, Padmé and the trooper followed behind.

They exited the building and walked down a small set of stairs. A speeder waited parked out front with another officer sitting in the driver's seat. The major took the empty front seat, while the other three loaded onto the benches in the back. No one said a word. The driver started up the speeder and pulled away from the tall tower-like structure they had left.

Padmé assumed they were in a military base or installation. The buildings were all grey and squared with a few having the Imperial aesthetic of slanted walls. Red flags with the Imperial symbol waved along the street. Some buildings had the insignia on the side, as if it had been burned into the durasteel or duracrete.

They made their way slowly through the base. A few other speeders passed with officiers or troopers. Each time they came near, Padmé casted her eyes down in attempts to play the prisoner. When the other speeder was gone Padmé would release a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding.

Eventually the speeder turned towards the hangars and spaceport of the base. They came up to a large building. A few carriers were seen coming and going over head. As they entered through the large open hangar door, Padmé couldn't help stop her growing anxiety. She still didn't know what exactly was going on. She knew Luke was here, but was he himself undercover? Would they still need to get free of the other Imperials they were traveling with?

The speeder came to a stop in a row of other speeders. No one moved. Padmé glanced over at her son, who was smiling encouragingly at her. He glanced over his shoulder at the driver, who had turned around in their seat. It was the first time Padmé had really looked at this other officier. Yet now she saw it was Leia. Her hair tied neatly in a tidy bun at the back of her head. She blended in as an Imperial more so than Luke with his long shaggy hair.

Luke reached over and squeezed Padmé's arm. Then the stormtrooper got up and out of the speeder. Luke nodded that Padmé follow, so she did. Once out the trooper assumed position next to Padmé, as if they were escorting a prisoner. The major gestured with a nod of his head for the group to follow.

They passed by docked ships. Maintenance crews and droids scurried about. The majority of the ships Padmé saw were for planetary travel only. None of them were made to exit the atmosphere. Finally the group turned towards one of these transports. The major branched off from the group. He walked over to a maintenance man and started talking to him. Luke lead Padmé and the rest inside the transport.

They went up the loading ramp into the small sitting area. It was clear this transport was used to carry people. Leia turned, her face full of relief, as she took the few steps to her mother and wrapped her arms around her.

"Mom!" she said deeply relieved. Padmé took a deep breath to settle her nerves and to enjoy her daughter's embrace.

"Get her out of those binders before you attack her like that." Padmé looked over at the stormtrooper who had pulled the helmet off. She wasn't that surprised to find it was Captain Solo. In short order she was freed from the binders and had hugged her son as well.

"Why are you here?" she said into his hair.

"Why wouldn't we be here?" he said as the two pulled away. "Of course I'd come rescue you."

"Oh Luke," she said. "What if . . ." She bit back her words. Her worries and paranoia from the cell washed over her. Luke looked over at her with a question on his face, wanting to know what had gone unsaid. Yet before she could answer steps were heard coming up the ramp. The whole group tensed up, but it was only the major from before. The man came to a stop, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked every bit an Imperial.

"Everything good?" Captain Solo asked the major.

"Yes," he replied. The major glanced over at Padmé. "Ms. Lars." he nodded. Padmé nodded back a bit unsure. She glanced over at Luke and Leia.

"This is Ortrun," Leia explained. "He's part of the Free Brolsam rebel movement."

Padmé wondered if he had been an Imperial before turning rebel, or if he was still posing as an Imperial with rebel loyalties.

"Luke, to the cockpit. Let's get out of here," Ortrun ordered. Luke nodded and followed the man through the door on the other side of the hold.

"Why do I keep finding myself dressed up in this thing?" Solo said as he tugged on the white trooper armor. He was clearly uncomfortable, but besides the helmet, he didn't take off any other pieces. "At this rate I should just enlist."

Padmé took a seat in one of the many empty chairs in the hold. She could feel the engines of the craft rumbling on. She clenched her hands together. Again she found her thoughts racing back to the ones she had in the cell. Back to those of Vader. She couldn't chase the idea that he might be somehow behind all of this, and now . . . She glanced over at Leia.

And now all three of them were in the same place.

A familiar tightening sensation crept along her throat. Her breath became shallow and labored. For a moment the hangar disappeared, and she could see the glowing lava. Feel the heat on her skin.

 _No!_ Padmé thought. She clenched her hands into fists and forced herself to take deep breaths through her nose.  _I can't allow him to harm Luke and Leia._

She couldn't allow that. No matter what she had to do, she wouldn't allow him to get his hands on her children. If it came down to it, Padmé realized, she would sacrifice herself if it meant allowing Luke and Leia to be free. Surely, hopefully, these thoughts were foolishness. Left over paranoia from her days on Tatooine. They would get out of this base and off Brolsam safely.

Suddenly the ship jerked upwards in a harsh movement. Padmé was thrown from her seat and she crashed to the floor.


	31. Chapter 31

Leia found herself on unsteady legs as she made her way to the cockpit of the transport. She clung to the walls to keep herself steady as the transport jerked from side to side every so often. She could hear Han cursing behind her as he too was trying to make his way to the cockpit, but was slowed down due the stormtrooper armor he still wore.

When she finally made it into the cockpit, Luke and Ortrun both had white-knuckled grips on the controls. She saw two TIE fighters scream past the viewport.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Ask him," Ortrun answered in his usual terse manner. His head jerked towards Luke. Yet Luke said nothing. Han came up behind Leia. His hands stretched out to either side of the entrance into the cockpit, steadying himself against the trashing turns of the transport.

"Ortrun, what in the Nine Corellian Hells is going on?" Han asked.

Ortrun shot Luke a nasty look, but Luke's attention was clearly elsewhere. "I don't know!" Ortrun said. "We commed tower control asking for permission to depart. They gave it, saying there was a queue and to wait our turn. The next thing I know is this guy," he jerked his again towards Luke, "slammed down the on the engine thrusters and shot us up without warning. Now we've got TIEs all over us."

"Luke?" Leia asked, but there was still no answer from her brother. She then tried to reach out for his feelings, but found he had walled himself off to her. Han pushed passed Leia and entered the cockpit.

"Let me pilot," he ordered. However, Luke pulled the controls sharply and the transport took another hard turn. Green laser bolts flashed through the window. Han stumbled and gripped onto Luke's chair for support.

"Everything is shot now," Ortrun shouted. "The Imperials know something is wrong!"

"They already knew!" Luke shouted. The rest of the cockpit grew quiet.

"Luke?" Leia was the first to find her voice.

"He's here," Luke said.

"Who's here?" both Han and Ortrun asked.

"Vader . . ." Leia answered softly. Han glanced over at Leia and studied her a moment. Ortrun only offered a quick frown before focusing back on flying.

"Did you say Vader?" Ortrun finally asked. "First of all, why would Darth Vader be on this planet? Second of all, how did you know that? And if you did, why are you saying so now? That information could have been good to know up front!"

"I didn't know!" Luke shouted. Ortrun opened his mouth to argue, but Luke continued. "I didn't know until we were waiting in the queue. I just knew that he was here. I felt it."

"You _felt_  it?" Ortrun asked clearly outraged. "You threw our cover because of a  _feeling_?"

"Listen we don't have time to argue over feelings right now," Han interjected. "What we need to do is lose these Imps. Let me pilot, I can shake them."

"No," both Ortrun and Luke replied at the same time.

"Luke switch the main controls over to my side," Ortrun ordered. Luke glanced over at the rebel. "I'm going to get out us of this mess." Luke nodded and pressed a switch to transfer the piloting controls over to the co-pilot's chair.

Ortrun immediately pulled on the controls and the transport came almost to a stop. Leia stumbled two steps into the cockpit with the force of inertia pulling her forward. Two TIEs soared past them. Ortrun sharply pulled on the controls and the transport swerved all the way around, facing back towards the base.

"Why are we heading back that way?" Han demanded noticing Ortrun's direction.

"There's no cover that way," Ortrun replied. "Brolsam is mainly nothing but fields and some low lying factories. It's only a matter of time before those TIEs shoot us down. Honestly I'm surprised we haven't been shot down yet."

"They're shooting to disable the ship. They don't want us dead," Luke said somberly. Ortrun shot him a look. Ortrun didn't know Luke was the famous Alliance rebel who shot down the Death Star. The Imperials would want such a famous rebel alive. More importantly, Darth Vader would want him alive.

 _No_ , Leia corrected herself,  _He wants all of us alive._

The Brolsam Military base was growing on the horizon. Two more TIE fighters were zooming towards their small transport to greet them. Luckily, Ortrun appeared to have some piloting skills. He dodged the fighters and their shots, shooting pass them and took a turn to the right of the base. He avoided coming into range of the base's ground defense turbo lasers.

"That's where you are heading towards," Han said. Leia looked and could see the small capital city of Brolsam coming up. Nor Teladrun was by no means massive or impressive, but it did sport several towers and skyscrapers. "Sorry pal, but even amongst the city I think those TIEs will eventually get us," Han added.

Yet Ortrun stayed silent as pushed the small transport on towards the city. The TIEs continued their pursuit. The ship shuddered as it was bombarded with hits from the fighters. Warning lights and alarms started to go off through the cockpit. Yet finally they were within the city as buildings started to come around them.

"Luke, take control," Ortrun said suddenly pressing the button that passed the controls back over to Luke. Luke was a bit surprised but quickly took control.

"But-" Luke started to say but Ortrun cut him off.

"Just stay aloft." Ortrun was digging through his Imperial officer's uniform and brought out a small comlink. He brought it up to his mouth. "This is Ortrun," he said into it. "Activate plan seven dash two-oh-seven."

A short replied followed. "Confirmed. Activating plan seven dash two-oh-seven."

"Get us low," Ortrun said turning to Luke. "And look for a good place to land."

"They'll be on us the moment we slow down," Han protested. "Unless that plan of yours is going to provide us with some cover?"

Ortrun didn't answer, but he didn't need to. Suddenly across the city, smoke billowed up from various and multiple rooftops. It was thick brown smoke. It quickly started to fill the air.

"Get us into the smoke and find us a place to land," Ortrun ordered.

Luke did so. He landed the craft between two buildings. The landing was rough as the craft bounced and scraped against the walls. Once they had landed, quiet filled the ship. The view was completely blocked by the thick brown smoke. They could barely see a few meters.

"I don't hear any TIEs," Ortrun finally said. He brought out a datapad from inside his jacket. "The smoke screen is only going to last another ten minutes. We have to move now and fast."

Leia turned and headed back to the hold. Her mother was sitting hunched over in one of the seats. Her head snapped as she heard Leia enter. The question was clear upon her mother's face.

"We have to go. Now," Leia said as she grabbed her mother's arm to help her up. She didn't mention anything about Vader. Her mother had already gone through enough, the last thing she needed was to be worried about  _him_.

As they headed down the loading ramp, it was the first time Leia herself thought back to what Luke had said earlier. She didn't doubt her brother when he said he felt Vader. She suppressed a shudder remembering Vrogas Vas all too easily. But she didn't like the implications of Vader being here on Brolsam. What did it mean? How had he known to come here?

For now Leia pushed those thoughts aside as she let Ortrun lead her through the smoke covered streets of Nor Teladrun. He was obviously giving up stealth for speed as he lead them openly along the streets at a quick pace. While they did seem to pass a few other individuals, mostly civilians scurrying to find cover, no one paid them any mind. Until they turned a corner and squad of stormtroopers met them.

They opened fire as soon as troopers saw them. Green stun bolts streaked towards them. Leia ducked while grabbing her mother down with her. The men pulled out their blasters and returned fire as they backed back around the corner.

"Back this way," Ortrun ordered as he set off in a run. The group followed as they crossed the street and turned down a small side street. Suddenly stormtroopers poured from an intersecting street. Again the green stun bolts shot out towards them. This time Leia brought up her blaster instead of ducking. She took out at least one of the troopers before they were able to successfully back into a different street.

It happened two more times. Ortrun would lead them on, and again they would come across troopers who immediately started to shoot them. After the fourth run in, they huddled down in an alleyway catching their breath. They were all sweaty and heaving. The smoke was starting to thin in the sky above them.

"I don't get it," Han said winded. "How do they keep finding us? How do they know it's us each time? We're still dressed as Imperials. They can't just be shootin' at everybody who walks by!"

They were all quiet, but Leia didn't miss the glare Ortrun gave towards her mother. "We're being tracked," he finally said. Ortrun marched over to Padme and grabbed her shirt. "Where did they put the tracker on you?"

"Hey don't touch her!" Leia said grabbing at Ortrun and pushing him off her mother.

"We're not going to get out of this if we don't find that tracker!" Ortrun shouted back.

"I don't think there is a tracker on me," Padme said. "They never touched me. They never even talked to me. I never left the cell!"

"Are you sure of that?" Ortrun hissed. "You can account for every moment? Even during your sleep? You sure they didn't slip some tracking chip into your food?"

Padme's eyes were wide. She glanced amongst the group.

"It's not her! It's me!" Luke shouted.

Everyone faced him. Leia had gotten a good look at him. He looked horrible. His face looked pain with his brows furrowed.

"What?" Ortrun demanded.

"Luke . . ." Padme said as she moved over to him and placed a hand on his arm.

"I-I'll distract them. Ortrun lead them out of the city." Luke said as he glanced at them. To Leia it appeared his eyes lingered on her a moment longer than anyone else. There seemed to be some sort of unspoken plea going on. Leia thought she knew what it was, but she didn't.

"No, Luke!" Padme said as she gripped his arm.

"I'm sorry, mom," he said before pulled her arm off and ran off down the street.


	32. Chapter 32

It had started back in the prison on the base. The uneasy feeling building inside of Luke. He thought it was just nerves. Yet the feeling grew and grew. He tried fighting through it. He didn't want to worry his mother, who herself appeared quite anxious. However, the feeling was overwhelming him as he sat down in the pilot's seat of the transport as Ortrun commed the tower control. He took the moment to reach out into the Force.

That's when he felt it. A black inky presence that swirled in anger. He had felt that presence before including just a few days ago above Vrogas Vas. It was Darth Vader. He was here on Brolsam. He could sense a feeling of pleasure and accomplishment coming from the dark presence. That was when Luke realized this was a trap.

The Force seemed to confirm his suspicions as he become suddenly aware of the presence of troopers pouring into the hangar behind the transport where Luke and Ortrun couldn't see. So he slammed on the engines and took the transport out of the hangar before they could be boarded.

Then as they made their way through the smoke-filled city on foot, he could still feel that presence latching on to him. He couldn't shake it no matter what. He could feel its anger, which had grown stronger and worse the more time went on. Then for the briefest of moments he was no longer dashing along the streets of Nor Teladrun, but inside a command room. A large holotable sat in the center displaying a map of the city. Imperial officers stood attentively nearby.

"They are turning down the next street," a deep baritone voice said.

Luke turned to see Darth Vader standing staring at the map. Then the sith turned and saw him.

 _Luke_ , a deep voice entered his mind.  _You cannot run_.

Then suddenly he was back in his own mind again, running down the streets. He glanced over his shoulder and saw it was as Vader had said. Ortrun had led them down the next street. That was when he knew. Somehow Vader was tracking them through the Force. Through Luke. Luke cursed at himself in how little he knew about the Force. He didn't know how to stop Vader from using him.

It hadn't been a hard decision to run off from the rest of the group. As long as it meant the others were safe, especially if his sister and mother were free from Vader. Yet he still found it heartbreaking to pull his mother's hand off of him. To see her eyes as she realized what he was doing. To ignore her pleading calls as he ran down the street.

Two green stun shots zipped pass him. Luke cursed at himself for losing his focus. He hadn't noticed the troopers come up from behind him. He had left his lightsaber behind. Ortrun didn't want to risk bringing it in case that had to go through a weapons scan to get into the prison. Blasters could be explained. Lightsabers could not.

Luke turned to fire his own blaster back at the troopers, but a bolt snared him in the leg. He fell to the ground in a shout of pain. He glanced up at the troopers, only to be blinded by a bright green light. Then it was darkness.

* * *

It was his shivering that woke him up. His hands were bound and attached to a cable. The cable was attached to the ceiling. It would randomly tighten, pulling him up by his arms. He would be left hanging for a while, until once again the cable was loosened and he would collapse to the floor.

He had of course learned of Imperial interrogation techniques and how to best combat them from the Alliance. However, it was still hard. The interrogators had come in twice. They would ask him his name, his rank, information on the rebels on Brolsam, and information on the Alliance. He gave them nothing. He drew inside himself thinking of his mother and sister. Praying to Ben and the Force to give him strength.

They would beat him. Poke him with electrified sticks to send shocks through his body. He had no idea how long he had been in the interrogation cell. It could have days. A week. It could have been hours. Yet he didn't understand why hadn't Darth Vader appeared. He had to know Luke had been captured. He had to know who Luke was, who he really was to Vader. Vader had known who Leia was on Vrogas Vas. Why else was he here personally on Brolsam if not because of Luke's mother? Hadn't Vader called Luke by name when Luke was running through the streets?

He tried to adjust his body, but it hurt too much. His wrists were raw and bloodied from where the binders had cut into him. His shoulders were dislocated. His mind faded in and out. Then once again the cable tightened, and he was strung up again. The door swished open and in walked Darth Vader. The sound of his automated breathing filled the air, which seemed to have cooled considerably from moments ago. Luke's body started to shiver more violently.

This was the second time Luke was coming face to face with his father. The previous time had been on Cymoon 1. Luke had been a bit on the arrogant side then. He was still feeling unstoppable after the Death Star. He thought he could take Vader on. He could stop this monster and free his family from him for good. How naive he had been. He couldn't help the despair that washed over him now.

"We meet properly at last," the deep voice of Darth Vader said. "The Rebel Who Shot Down the Death Star, Luke  _Skywalker_." The last word was almost growled out. Luke could feel the anger behind that name when Vader spoke it. "Or perhaps it is Luke Lars?"

Luke's breathing was heavy and his body still shook from the cold. He clenched his teeth and kept staring straight ahead at the black mask. The only sound was the mechanical breathing of the sith's respirator.

It was Luke who finally broke the silence. "You already know I am," he said softly.

"So you admit it?" Vader asked. "You admit that I am your father?"

"I admit that my father was Anakin Skywalker," Luke said. In a movement that was almost too fast for Luke to follow, Vader was suddenly directly in front of Luke. The black mask mere inches away from Luke. Vader's gloved hand grabbed Luke's chin, pinching Luke's cheeks.

"You will not speak that name again," Vader said. An edge of anger clung to the words. Luke wasn't sure if it was the physical contact or the proximity, but Vader's emotions seemed to be much stronger than they had a moment ago when he stood before the door. Vader's anger felt like a sharp knife cutting into Luke.

The despair he had felt minutes ago had left him. Anger was starting to creep in. "Why?" Luke asked.

The hand that was gripping his face let go and quickly backhanded Luke. His head snapped to the side from the blow. Pain blossomed in his cheek where the strike had hit.

"You will need to learn your place, _son_ ," Vader said.

Luke couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped him. "I thought I was already in place being in this cell as a Rebel."

"You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power," Vader said. "Join me and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy."

Luke's mouth fell open in surprise. He was speechless. He stared ahead at the mask. "I'll never join you," Luke said finally finding the words.

"If only you knew the power of the dark side, Luke," the sith continued. "It is your destiny. Join me. With your sister and mother, together we can rule the galaxy."

"Join you?" Luke said aghast. "Together? What now you want to be a family? Now that there is something to gain from me? Clearly you didn't want to be a family when you choked my mother to death while she still carried me and Leia."

The anger that exploded off Darth Vader made Luke flinch. His shoulders ached in pain and the binders dug a bit more into his skin. Yet Vader didn't respond.

"So you admit it?" Luke said throwing the lord's words right back at him. Vader's reply was another harsh blow across Luke's face. This one was harder than the last. Luke could feel that this hit drew blood across his cheek. Again Vader grabbed Luke's chin. The gloved fingers sharply dug into his face.

"You and your sister's destiny lies with me," Vader said. His voice was calm and even, but there was a dark undercurrent to it. "Tell me, where is she? Where is your mother?"

Luke took in a sharp breath through his clenched teeth, but didn't respond to Vader. He would never let this man get to his family.

"Obi-Wan has taught you well," Vader said. "You have controlled your fear. Now release your anger."

Again Luke stayed silent, but he became very aware of his anger. The anger of Darth Vader. Of what this monster had done to his mother, to his sister, to him. He was angry that the man wanted Luke by his side only now that he had something to gain from it. He was angry that Vader wanted Leia as well.

"You are beaten. It is useless to resist. I'll give you one more chance, Luke. Tell me where your sister and mother are."

"No," Luke said calmly. His eyes had never left the black lenses of Vader's.

"Very well." Vader growled.

Luke gasped as he felt Vader slam into his mind. The physical world of the cell and Vader disappeared as Luke drew into himself. He scrambled to throw up whatever shields he could muster, but Vader was too strong. Strong dark tendrils quickly blasted through Luke's shields. He felt the dark side circling around him.

Luke's heart pounded in his chest as his blood started to run cold through him. He wasn't going to be able to stop Vader from breaking into his mind. The fear for his mother and sister's safety grew. Vader's dark and strong presence seemed pleased as if it was soaking up and strengthening itself off of Luke's fear.

 _There is no escape, Luke._ Vader's voice stormed through Luke's mind.

Luke let out a scream as Vader's presence stabbed into him. He could feel the darkness searching through his mind. Luke kept pushing his most recent memories away from the searching tendrils. But it was hard and Luke was finding himself tiring. Then he slipped and Vader's presence was on him.

Instead of resisting, Luke just gave in. He was tired. Physically. Mentally. He found that it wasn't as painful if he simply let the dark lord shift through his mind. Luke let himself go. He tried to calm himself down. Tried pulling himself back to his physical body with deep breaths, but something kept calling him back.

Luke let himself be pulled into the Force, but it wasn't leading him back to where Vader was going through Luke's memories. It was pulling Luke toward Vader's mind. Luke moved along this link cautiously, as if any moment the sith would sense Luke and lash out at him. Then suddenly he realized he was in Vader's mind.

Luke saw it then. Darth Vader's plan. Vader had learned of his mother's mission on Brolsam. He had her caught, and used her as bait to lure Luke to come rescue her. He hadn't quite been expecting Leia to join as well, but was quite pleased she had. The original goal was to capture all three of them in the hangar as Luke suspected.

Luke tried to push beyond this train of thought, but found mental shields that were strong as thick durasteel waiting. He only seem to access Vader's thoughts and memories of the plan. Then a vision passed through Luke. It was of the  _Millennium Falcon_. There was no waiting Chewbacca or R2-D2, instead it were troopers with blasters primed. Of course Vader had allowed the  _Falcon_  to land, and of course he had seized it to prevent any escape.

Luke had to warn them. If they went back to the  _Falcon_  unknowingly they would play right into Vader's hands. He reached out to Leia along their bond.

 _Leia!_  He called out. They never been able to pass along words. It was only emotions. But surely he could pass along something. Fear? Distrust? Caution? How was he going to put this so she would understand? He didn't know, but he had to try. Again he reached out towards her, calling her.

A small flicker of warmth answered back. She had heard him. He poured all of his strength into sending his message to her. He brought up the image of the stormtroopers waiting on the  _Falcon_. He projected the words out along their bond that it was a trap. He prayed to the Force she was receiving some of it. Even if it was just a glimpse.

 _Impressive_ , the voice of Vader thundered inside Luke's mind.

The dark cold tendrils wrapped around Luke's consciousness. Before he was completely engulfed he tried to cut off the bond to Leia, but he wasn't quick enough. Vader was there and was keeping the connection open. Luke struggled against Vader's grip on his mind as Vader reached out along the bond between the twins.

 _No, no, no! No!_  Luke cried out.

Vader was going to latch onto Leia's mind like he had to Luke earlier. He would see what she was seeing. He would track her down and capture her like Luke had been. Luke couldn't allow that. He collected every bit of himself and pushed against Vader. Surprisingly, he slipped pass Vader's control. Luke reached out for the bond with his sister and sharply cut it off. Then the cold, the anger and the darkness engulfed him.


	33. Chapter 33

Leia couldn't stop the shivering. She was wrapped in two silver thermal blankets, but still she felt cold. She couldn't shake it. She had run her hands under hot water, but the warmth seemed to quickly leave her hands. Now they felt ice cold. She sat huddled up on a bunk in the crew quarters of the  _Millenium Falcon_.

Leia glanced at the form laying down in the bunk next to her. It looked like Leia's mother had finally fallen asleep. Her soft sobs had died out about half an hour ago. Leia knew her mother was trying to put up a strong front, but the woman had cried herself to sleep. Leia didn't blame her mother. Leia herself felt like crying a bit as well, but no tears came. Just the cold. Just the shivering.

Leia thought back to when the cold started. She had been on the transport Ortrun and his rebel allies had seized to get Leia, her mother, and Han out of the capital city of Brolsam. They had left Luke behind on the smokey streets. Luke had claimed the Imperials were tracking him. Leia wanted to argue. How was that possible? If they were tracking Luke, surely they were tracking the rest of them as well. However after Luke left, they ran into no more squads of troopers. They were able to get out of the city quickly.

Leia sat watching the fields blur by when suddenly she felt Luke reaching out to her. It was weak, but she wasn't that surprised. Their "twin connection" grew weaker the further apart they were. She reached back to Luke along their bond. She wasn't expecting any of what happened next.

Suddenly a large wave of emotion slammed into her. Sharp points of anxiety stabbed into her. Fear slithered around in her stomach. Leia was confused. What was happening to Luke? Were they torturing him? Then suddenly the transport and the Brolsam fields disappeared. The emotions grew stronger as she found herself standing on the inside of the  _Falcon_. Troopers, who moved as if they did not see her, waited on the ship with blasters ready.

Through of all this she could just barely make out the sound of Luke's voice. But it was dull and muffled. She just hear it, but could discern no actual words. Yet she could make out the tone. His words were urging her to do something. Then it was gone, both the vision and the distant voice of her brother. She could feel Luke slipping away. Perhaps the distance was finally too great.

That's when the cold sliced into her. It started at her core and rapidly grew outwards. It felt like her blood was turning into ice. Beyond all that she could a humming along the bond she shared with her brother. The vibration was off. It wasn't right. Fear crackled inside her frozen insides. What was wrong with Luke? She reached out along the fragile and thin bond, but quickly tried to back away as she felt the dark raging presence pushing its way along the bond.

_Vader._

That was what was happening to Luke. Darth Vader had him. There was no mistaking the dark presence. The memory of the sith was still fresh in Leia's mind from Vrogas Vas. With horror she realized the sith was making his way towards Leia along the connection she shared with her twin. She immediately aimed to cut it off, to close it, but was finding it was hard. She was reacting sluggishly. The cold still seared through her, slowing her down.

Then the suddenly the bond was cut from Luke's side. For a brief second she felt a strong wave of warm power explode from the other side. But as quickly as it came, it left. Leaving an eerie sense of nothing and the deep cold.

As Leia came back into the real world, she found herself curled up on the floor of the transport. Her mother and Han kneeled over her. Both concerned, but Leia's mother face was also pained. At once Leia sat up and explained what had happened. The vision from Luke must have been a warning. They were walking into a trap by going back to the  _Falcon_.

Ortrun had not been pleased about this. He was more of a skeptical of the Force than Han was. The Brolsam rebel offered to take them back to the  _Falcon_ , but after that he and the Free Brolsam Movement was through. Already they had risked too much to free Leia's mother. The smoke shield they had employed over Nor Teladrun had been the sum of several months of undercover work. Now wasted and gone. Plus with Darth Vader now personally on the planet, it was almost assured that whatever aid the Alliance was giving the Brolsam citizens, would now be stopped. Ortrun had decided it was simply too dangerous for his rebels. They needed to go underground and into hiding. They couldn't help Leia's mother and Leia anymore.

No one could really blame Ortrun for this decision. He had risked a lot helping the group sneak onto the Brolsam base and prison to get Leia's mother. Most likely his face had been caught on security cameras. With Lord Vader on the planet, who knew how strictly the Imperials may act towards any rebels.

When they returned back to the village near where the  _Falcon_  was parked, the group met with the local Fefze. The insectoids reported there had been no Imperial activity. They had seen no one coming and going, including from the fields near the starship. Regardless Han, Leia, and Leia's mother was cautious as they approached the ship. It had been decided they would go back to the  _Falcon_. They had no way off the planet, and Han wasn't going to leave Chewbacca or his ship behind.

Upon reaching the ship, they didn't take the main ramp. Instead Han loosened a panel in the ship's underbelly. The group wormed their way up through the ship into the walkway. However, once on the ship they found there were no troopers. Chewbacca and R2-D2 were still on board, both fine. Neither had seen any action since the group had left two days ago.

Thus the debate of the vision started. Perhaps it was future vision. They moved the _Falcon_  off planet and into nearby empty space while they thought about their next move. They debated on going back to Brolsam to free Luke. Yet, without the aid of the Free Brolsam rebels, they were without any planetside help. Not to mention there was still the obstacle of Darth Vader.

"I'll go," Leia's mother said. Her voice was desperate. "I'll go. I'll offer myself up for Luke."

Chewbacca let off a soft growl.

"Sorry that ain't going to happen," Han said to Padme, who frowned deeply in response. "Plus there is no way Vader and the Empire is letting go of Luke. He's the kriffin' kid who shot down the Death Star. They ain't going to hand him over for you."

"Please, Captain Solo," Padme begged. "Take me back to Brolsam. You don't have to stay. In fact take Leia back to the Alliance. I will deal with this myself. I can't leave Luke there. Not with  _that_  man."

Luckily Han agreed to no such thing. Instead he decided to head back to the Alliance Fleet. While it had been clear they would get no help in freeing Padme, perhaps the Alliance would change their tune for Luke. The ship was now in hyperspace as it made its way to the fleet.

Leia quietly got off the bed, but the thermal blankets crinkled loudly. She flinched and stilled and stared intently the huddle sleeping form of her mother. Yet Padme didn't move. Leia did her best to shuffle out of the crew's quarter with as little sound as possible. Once the door to the quarters were shut, she made her way to the main hold. Han was reclining in the chair in front the engineer station. His head was rolled back and his eyes were closed. Leia wondered why he hadn't opted for the nearby curved couch.

Leia sighed and made her way to the couch. Already her feet were feeling like ice. She wanted to curl up and attempt at keeping up her body heat. Han groaned as his eyes opened up. He rolled his head back and forth, stretching his neck. As Leia brought her knees up on the couch, Han stood and looked over at her.

"How's the mom?" he asked. His voice sounded a bit sleepy and tired.

"Fine . . .," Leia started to say, but continued after seeing Han raise an eyebrow. "As fine as can be I suppose. She's sleeping."

"What is the deal with your family and Vader?" Han asked as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Leia stiffened. The thermal blankets crinkled and then silenced at her movement. She had the thought to the throw the blasted blankets off of her. At least then her every movement wouldn't be audible, but the cold still clung to her. In fact it seem to have gotten worse with Han's question.

Leia's mind raced to quickly come up with an answer. To her knowledge Han only knew the white lie Leia and her family had told the Alliance. Leia's father had been a Jedi, who had been killed by Darth Vader. Vader had in turn tried to killed a pregnant Padme, but it was Obi-Wan Kenobi who saved them. Kenobi and Padme then went into hiding partly to avoid Vader and also to hide Padme force sensitive children.

As if sensing her thoughts, Han spoke up. "I mean is there anything more than the whole Vader-killed-my-dad part?" Again Leia's mind tried to think of a good excuse. What could she say that would appease Han's curiosity? Han sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I get why Vader would go after your mom. It was all a trap to get to Luke. But your mom wanted to offer herself up for Luke. She honestly thought they would trade her for Luke."

"You're right about that . . ." Leia said softly staring down at the silver of the thermal blanket. "There is no way the Empire is letting go of Luke willingly. My mom is just distraught."

Leia hoped her words eased Han's worries and probing. But Leia hadn't been wrong, at least she hoped. There was no way Vader would allow Luke to go. The sith surely had to know who Luke was by now. If he knew who Leia was, he had to know who Luke was as well.

"Do you think the Alliance will help free him?" Leia asked as she looked up at Han.

Han shrugged. "Sure he's the hero poster boy, but who knows. If it were up to me, I would do everything I could to save that kid."

Leia couldn't help but smile at Han's remark. It was good to have someone on her side.

"But I still don't know what I think about that vision you supposedly saw," Han said as he looked away from her. "All this Force stuff . . ." He voice trailed off. Han again refocused on Leia's form on the sofa. "Chewie thinks it was a ruse on Vader's part."

"A ruse?" she asked.

"A trick to get us to avoid coming back to the  _Falcon_ ," Han continued. "It was our best and possibly only option of getting off planet. I have no doubt a star destroyer or two is either orbiting around Brolsam or is about to be there. Those TIEs we escaped from when we got out of the planet's atmosphere had to stationed somewhere. Even if Vader simply postponed us from getting back to the ship as fast as we could, we may have been flying into another trap once we got into orbit."

Leia let herself process what Han had said. She worked her way through the information and implications.

"The vision was never real?" she asked finally. Han only nodded. "But . . . how did he know what the inside of the  _Falcon_  look like?" She cursed inwardly to herself at knowing so little about the Force and knowing so little in how to control it. If Vader could send her and Luke false images, what else could he do?

A shiver ran through her as she thought of her brother in Vader's hands. What would Vader do to Luke?


	34. Chapter 34

Luke laid on his back, crossing his arms across his chest, and stared unfocused into the gray of his cell. He hated the cell. He hated how the walls slanted together as they went up. As if the room was closing in on him. He hated the grates along the floor. Ready for any spillage to simply seep away down the drains below.

He hadn't stayed on Brolsam long. Luke assumed that when his family and Han escaped, there wasn't any reason for Darth Vader to stay on the planet. He took Luke with him. Luke was first transferred over to the ISD  _Raptor_ , the sector moff's destroyer, and then over the ISD  _Devastator_ , Vader's personal flagship.

Luke hadn't seen much of the man. The only time he had seen Vader was in brief glimpses when he was taken to the shuttle during the transfers. But Luke knew the monster was around. Every so often a sense of dark tendrils would reach out for him. Luke assumed it was Vader checking in on him. Making sure the rebel was still in his place, easily within the sith's grasp.

Without much else to do but think, Luke tried to think of different ways to escape. Yet despite the various scenarios he thought out in his head, nothing sounded plausible. What it really boiled down to was opportunity and trusting the Force. There wasn't much he could do inside this cell. For now he would have to wait.

Luke almost welcomed when the stormtroopers finally came for him. It was break from the monotony. His hands were bound in cuffs and he was taken out of the cell. They took him further down the detention block and into another cell. This cell was larger and empty. No long bench that doubled as a bed. Luke's first reaction was to go to the ceiling to see if there were any wires or hooks for him to be strung up again. His body still ached from his previous interrogation.

He didn't have to wait long before the door opened again, and the large form of Darth Vader strolled into the cell. The two stormtroopers left leaving the two alone. Luke felt the familiar black tendrils reaching towards him. He took a step back as if that would stop them, which it didn't. He could the tendrils wrapping around him, as if cocooning him in the dark side of the Force.

"Hopefully you have used your solitude as time to reflect on the truth," Darth Vader said finally breaking the silence.

"Which truth was that?" Luke asked wryly.

"The truth of who you are," Vader continued. "Of your destiny. To join me and the dark side."

"I will not join you," Luke replied.

"I will not accept that answer."

"Or what?" Luke ventured. "You'll kill me? Isn't that what you always wanted? Why bother with anything else?"

"I do not want you dead."

"Of course you don't want me dead now. I'm just a weapon to you," Luke sighed.

"No, that is not true," Vader responded instantly.

"What else could you want from me then? Clearly you didn't want me before when you tried to kill my mother when I was still in her womb."

"I  _always_ wanted you!" Vader shouted. The anger the exploded off him made Luke flinch and take a step back.

"What does that mean?" Luke said after taking a moment to process the words. "What does that mean? You always wanted me? If you always wanted me, why try to kill me? My mother?"

"I . . .," Vader started. Luke was surprised to see Vader at a loss a words. To see the sith uncomfortable. "I never meant to harm your mother or you."

Luke scoffed. "Are you saying you  _accidentally_  choked her?" Luke couldn't help but remember the many times he had seen his mother reach up her throat. How she would get a distant look in her eyes. How often her obvious fear would read across her face and body language.

Again rage erupted from Vader. The room seemed to shake. Luke backed away and found himself against the back wall. Yet through it all Luke could sense a thread of guilt.  _Good_ , Luke thought smugly.  _He should feel guilty for everything he put my mom through. Everything he put Leia and I through._

Slowly the anger seemed to recede back into the black armored man. Vader clenched his fists in a clear attempt to control his anger.

"You will not speak of this anymore," Vader commanded. There was an obvious strain in the voice. Luke wanted to protest. He opened his mouth, but suddenly a thick and heavy pressure was around his throat. Luke closed his mouth and the pressure receded. After a tense moment of silence, Vader continued. "You need to learn to shield yourself, young one."

"I do not want to learn anything from you," Luke replied.

"You need to learn to hide your presence from the Emperor," Vader explained. "It's imperative he doesn't discover your power. If the Emperor discovers your strength he will capture you. He will either turn you to his next apprentice or kill you."

"And how is that any different from you?" Luke sighed. "Why is this a problem whether the Emperor turns me or you do?"

"I will not allow it," Vader growled. Luke flinched from the anger radiating from Vader.

"Allow what?" Luke snapped back, not wanting to back down.

"The Emperor to have you."

"Because I am to be  _your_ weapon?" Luke asked. "Your weapon to take down the Emperor? So you can take the throne?" Luke can tell he is pushing Vader. The force surrounding the Sith has only grown darker and wilder.

"The Rule of Two," Vader said. His voice even. "There shall only be two sith. One master. One apprentice. If the Emperor takes you as apprentice, then he means to kill me."

Luke contemplated what he had just learned. "And if you take me as an apprentice, then the Emperor must die?" Vader didn't respond. He just stood there with his mechanical breathing filling the silence.

"Whether you are my apprentice or not, the Emperor must die," Vader finally spoke up. "While he has helped bring the galaxy into better order than that foolish Republic, the Emperor only cares for himself. He purposely allows and encourages fighting and scheming amongst the nobility and high ranking officers. He allows corruption to spread. The galaxy is in a state of constant and needless turmoil."

"And you can do better?"

"Yes."

Luke could sense the strength and conviction behind those words. Darth Vader truly believed he could do better. _It is your destiny._ Vader's words echo in Luke's mind.

"I will not allow the Emperor to take you away from me," Vader continued. A sense of possessiveness from Vader rolled over Luke. "As such you must learn to shield yourself, so the Emperor cannot sense you."

"Again, I will not learn anything from you," Luke responded.

"You will," Vader growled.

Luke was curious as to how this would play out. What would Darth Vader do? He couldn't make Luke learn anything, could he? As if in answer to his thoughts, Luke suddenly felt Vader slam into his mind. His dark presence swirled amongst his thoughts. Luke could feel dark tendrils reaching out for Luke's memories.

"No!" Luke cried. He backed away from the sith, as if putting more space between them would weaken the hold Vader had on his mind. His back was flush against the wall. Suddenly the sensation was gone. Vader pulled out of Luke's mind.

"If you don't want that to happen again, you will learn to shield yourself," Vader said pointing a finger at Luke.

Luke gritted his teeth. He could do this. He could stand up to this man. Again the dark tendrils of Vader sliced into Luke's mind. They weren't gentle and Luke couldn't help but let out a groan of pain. Vader tore through his mind and started to zero in on memories about the Alliance. He focused in a memory of one of Luke's flight squadron meetings. They were going over formations and battle plans.

 _No!_  Luke thought. If Vader saw these, he would be able to plan against Luke's own squad easily. The squad would quickly fall. Then Vader was gone from his mind again.

"I will dig through your mind and find whatever information I can to destroy your precious Alliance, boy," Vader promised.

Then Vader was back in Luke's mind again. This time he seemed to be simply be interested in watching as Luke wandered the halls of  _Home One_. Then realized with horror he was mapping out the ship. Where the hangar was. Where the High Council met. Where not only his room was, but also Leia and their mother's. Then once again Vader pulled out of his mind.

Luke fell to his knees on the floor. He had broken out in a sweat and his breathing was a bit uneven. A painful headache was growing rapidly in his head. He brought up his cuffed his hands to cradle his head.

"Are you ready to learn to shield yourself?" Vader asked.

"No," Luke responded.

Again Vader attacked Luke's mind. Again the sith asked the question. Again Luke denied. It repeated. By the fifth attack, Luke was on the floor clenching his head. He heard Vader's boots clicking on the floor as he approached Luke. Vader stopped right in front of Luke. The sound of the respirator dragged across Luke's fragile mind.

"Luke, you can prevent me from entering your mind. You can keep your memories safe. All you have to do is accept my teaching," Vader offered. Luke didn't respond. His breathing has becoming labored. He was having a hard time focusing. His mind pounded and screamed in an unrelenting headache. "Very well. We can continue this tomorrow."

"N-no," Luke rasped.

"No?"

"I'll-I'll learn."

The last thing Luke was aware of before he fell unconscious, was a strong sense of how pleased Vader was.

When Luke awoke, he was not in his familiar cell nor did he wear the cuffs. It was a small room done in all gray. It held a single bunk and a small table with a chair. He also discovered there was a door into a private, small refresher. He assumed this was some kind of officer's quarters. The private room and bathroom were not something lowly recruits got, much less Rebel prisoners.

Luke discovered fresh clothing in a drawer. It was all black, cut similar to an Imperial uniform, but it wasn't a uniform. He decided to make the best of the situation by cleaning up in the shower and changing into fresh clothes. But he continued to stay on edge. He kept wondering when the trap would be sprung. When troopers would rush in, grab him, and drag him back to the detention block.

He kept thinking back to his encounter with Vader. The words of the conversation rolled around in Luke's mind. Now that he was away from the sith, he was really able to process the conversation. He had been too anxious and scared to really comprehend all that had been said in the moment, but now he was able to reflect.

What did Vader's words mean? Luke ran through the information he did have on his father that he had been told from his mother and Ben. He quickly discovered he didn't know a whole lot of details. The two had barely told Luke anything, just the basics.

Luke knew his father was Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi knight, who fell to the dark side due to the Emperor who was a sith lord. When Luke's mother confronted her husband about his evil deeds, he ended up choking her. That's when Ben came in, fought Vader, injured him, and then left with Luke's unconscious mother.

Was there more to that story? Had his mother and Ben told Luke everything? A cold thought ran through Luke. What was his father's side of the story?

" _No, that is not true."_

" _I_ always _wanted you!"_

" _I never meant to harm your mother or you."_

Luke had never expected those words to come out of Darth Vader. He had come to expect the man as a ruthless, murderous monster who would kill Luke and his family without hesitation. Yet the monster himself was telling Luke he didn't want Luke dead.  _He just sees you as a tool to help bring down the Emperor_ , a thought said. But yet another thought argued,  _Is that really it?_

Luke's thoughts were interrupted when the door opened. Yet it wasn't to the white of stormtrooper armor. Instead it was the black armor and mask of Darth Vader.

"Come," was all Vader said before he turned and walked away. Luke was hesitant, but followed after into a dark gray corridor. This wasn't the large well-lit hallways of the star destroyer he had traveled yesterday. The hallway led to a sitting room. A large viewport of space sat beyond a few chairs and a sofa.

"This in my private quarters," Vader rumbled as if knowing the unasked question that was forming in Luke's mind.

"You have a guest room?" Luke asked glancing over his shoulder back towards the room he had woke up in. He couldn't imagine Vader entertaining guests or even tolerating them.

"That is your room." Luke looked over confused. "I had it prepared for you," Vader explained. "While I do fill my ship with men loyal to me, spies of the Emperor do slip through. Eventually it will go noticed if I keep seeing the same prisoner over and over again without any good reason. As I mentioned before, it's imperative the Emperor does not discover who you are."

Luke only weakly nodded as he glanced at the floor.

"Now let us begin," Vader ordered.


	35. Chapter 35

Darth Vader was familiar with regret. It was an emotion he felt quite frequently. He often regretted not killing off certain officiers when he first had the chance. He regretted not being able to foresee some of the rebel scum attacks on his military. He regretted attending any formal function on the Emperor's orders.

However all these regrets could easily dominated by anger. Through anger he could kill off annoying officers. Through anger he could lead his ships into battle to crush any rebel threat. Through anger even non-force sensitives would have the sense not to approach him at any party or social gathering.

It was his anger that fueled him. Empowered him in the dark side of the Force. He welcomed anger. He never shied away from it. It only made him stronger. Regrets usually lead to deeper anger, yet now Vader was faced with the opposite. It was his anger that was causing the sith to regret.

Vader sat in his hyperbaric chamber in his personal quarters meditating. His mind kept going back to the boy. His son. Luke. Before meeting with the boy properly, Vader only had one true regret. It was the regret that due to his anger, he had killed his wife. No amount of anger and rage could chase away that bleeding regret. There was no way to fix it. It simply was and persisted in Vader's life. A gaping wound that not even time seemed to be able to heal.

Yet then that regret had weakened some when he had learned he hadn't killed his wife. In fact his wife lived along with his two children. But there was still the regret of hurting her. The memory was still strong in Vader's mind now twenty years later. His wife with her hands to her throat, her eyes wide with fear and horror, and then her collapsing unconscious to the floor.

Now Vader had the regret of hurting his son as well.

Once again he acted in anger. On Brolsam everything had been going according to his plan to seize all three members of his family. While Vader had captured the boy, he was unable to capture the girl or her mother. The officer that had told Vader the news that the freighter had gotten off the planet and into hyperspace had died a quick death as the rage built inside the sith.

Vader had been on the same planet. On the same military base! His wife and children were so close, and yet once again they managed to slip through his fingers. True Vader wasn't left empty handed. He had successfully gotten the boy, but still his daughter and his wife- his angel- were gone.

Vader couldn't allow it. Wouldn't allow it. He needed his family to be together. His anger boiled inside of him. There was one who did know exactly where his family was- the boy. It was in his red-hazed anger that Vader came to the boy in the interrogation room. He had hoped that perhaps the boy would see reason and his destiny, but no. The boy would not tell his father anything. He would not join his father. It was in Vader's anger and the pain of rejection that he had hit the child and invaded his mind hoping desperately to find the location of his wife and daughter.

It had been so easy. Second-nature to Vader. How many times had the dark lord entered an interrogation room such as the one his son was in? Vader had let his dark emotions run free and called upon the dark side of the Force. It wasn't until the boy sagged unconscious did Vader finally realize how far he had gone.

Vader had distanced himself from the boy for three days afterwards. Regret of his actions swirled around him. He felt mentally dragged down. A heavy weight inside of him. How could he have hurt his son? His living child he thought he had lost? The child born from  _her_? His mood had been foul and all on board his ship had sensed it. Few dared to even look at the dark lord.

During those three days Vader realized he had to learn to control his anger. Already he had hurt his wife, to the point where he thought he had killed her, as well as hurting his own son. Vader would have to learn better self control. However, the boy did not make it an easy task. He purposely tried to anger and provoke Vader. Very few individuals currently lived who tried the same things the boy had.

In the back of his mind, Vader could hear the laugh of Sidious. He could hear the Emperor's words rasped out at him.  _How weak. How pathetic. Still clinging onto those useless emotions. It will make it all the more easier to destroy you._

 _I am not weak_ , Vader thought to himself as his fists clenched.  _My family will not weaken me. It will strengthen me._

 _Yet you already seek to purposely weaken yourself around that boy_ , the voice of Sidious hissed.  _Love is not an emotion of the dark side._ Vader mentally burned away this version of the Emperor that lingered in Vader's mind.

He reached out in the Force towards the boy. He quickly found his son still locked in his room. The boy was restless and agitated. Vader would need to find something to calm the child down. For now Vader didn't trust the boy to have more access to more of Vader's quarters. Luke's loyalties were still tightly clinging to the pathetic Rebel Alliance.

Yet Vader knew that eventually Luke would be by his father's side. As it was supposed to be all along. It was Luke's destiny. And if Luke was truly his father's son, truly a Skywalker, then the thing pulling Luke the most to the rebellion was his family. The boy had already demonstrated what he would do to keep his family safe on Cymoon 1 and on Brolsam. Once Vader reunited the boy and his family, there wouldn't be much to call him back to the rebellion.

Vader smiled at the thought of having his family together. Luke calling Vader father by not out of contempt or anger, but out of respect and affection. Then Vader sighed knowing that such a time was still a bit off. It would time for Luke to learn to trust Vader. It wouldn't just be Luke, but Leia and Padmé as well. But eventually they would.

Thinking of his wife and daughter, Vader thought of his plans to ensure they were brought to him. One thing he had learned from his master was to have multiple plans. To have plans within plans. True the Brolsam plan didn't pan out as it had intended, but Vader still had multiple back-ups already in place.

There was only one thing that made Vader worry. It wasn't the pathetic Alliance. They were easily too predictable. It was the Emperor. Vader could easily either manipulate or predict the movements of all the other pieces in this game, except for Darth Sidious. Vader had no doubt his master already had his own pawns out there. Vader hoped that Sidious was not yet too invested or interested in the game yet. It was still too below the Emperor for this game to be of personal interest. Nothing of value to truly be gained. Except that wasn't true. Vader was all too aware of that.

Thus Vader had to secure his family before the Emperor did become personally interested. The brief contact he had with his daughter and the past two days training his son to shield himself, Vader knew how powerful both his children were. Sidious would not accept such power to be loose in the galaxy. Either the sith master would claim it for his own or destroy it. There was no other alternative. Vader would not allow either option. To secure that neither option played out, the only thing to protect his family was to kill the Emperor.

Vade slid a small chip from his belt. There was no back up for the information on this chip. It was kept in a special protective pouch on Vader's belt, that would ensure it would never be harmed by electricity especially force lightning. He slid the chip into a datapad. On this chip held his plans to overthrow the Emperor. It was why the information never left his person.

The plan had been put in motion over two years ago, but it was a slow plan. It had to be to avoid Sidious's attention. However certain aspects of it had now been accelerated with inclusion of his family. There was a shiver of excitement in the sith. If Vader could stay one step of his master then everything would be Vader's.

Feeling in high spirits, Vader pressed the button for his helmet to come back on. He then left his hyperbaric chamber and headed towards Luke's rooms. The boy was a storm of conflicting emotions. While he was learning to shield himself, Luke didn't keep the shields up all times. It tired him out.

In truth Vader prefered a shieldless child. He liked being able to read Luke's emotions. It made it a lot easier to handle the boy. Vader paused outside the door reaching out towards Luke in the Force. The boy's emotions were strong and easy to read. Anger, annoyance, boredom, worry.

The first two emotions were aimed at Vader. Though it did annoy Vader the boy hated him, Vader had come to reason with it. The boy had been fed lies about his father. Luke would come to know the truth. Vader would twist that anger away from him and into fuel for the dark side.

Vader pressed the door control, and the door slid open. Luke had his back to the door, but as the door opened he snapped towards it.

"Son," Vader said. "Your current irritation allowed me no rest. You still have a long way to go on your shielding."

"Forgive me,  _father_ ," Luke said sarcastically. Vader didn't reprimand the boy for the comment. He secretly enjoyed that Luke called him father, even if it was out a spite. At least the boy was using the title. At least he recognized Vader as his father.

"Come, we shall work on your shields. You still have much to improve, young one," Vader ordered as he turned down the hallway not stopping to see if Luke would follow. He already knew the boy would. Vader smiled behind his mask at the obedience his son already had towards him. The boy hated being cooped up his room and as such was willingly to obey when he was finally let out.

Vader could sense Luke's confusion when he didn't take him to the sitting room where they usually meditated to work on the shielding. Instead he lead his son deeper down the hallway of his personal quarters. He ushered Luke into his training room. It was large and mostly empty. A few cabinets stood against the back wall with battle droids for practice. Luke walked into the center of the room. He turned around the room slowly as he examined the room.

Suddenly Vader snapped his lightsaber into his hand, activated the red beam, and did a quick thrust towards Luke. However he hadn't even aimed for the boy, merely for the air beside him. Luke jumped away.

"What?" Luke shouted. Anger and disbelief poured from him. "You almost hit me!"

"If I wanted to hit you, I would have," Vader growled. "Now put your shields up."

Again Vader quickly thrusted forward with his saber. Again he was only aiming to Luke's side. Again Luke jumped away. The boy would need some training in physical combat. Vader added it to his growing list of things he would need to train his son in.

Luke still hadn't put his shields up, so Vader reached out in the Force for Luke's mind. As soon as the boy felt Vader's prense, the walls went up. As soon as they did, Vader moved again and slashed his lightsaber closed to the boy. When Luke jumped, his mental shields fell down. As soon as they did Vader was again pressing into the youth's mind.

"Stop!" Luke shouted.

"You will learn to keep your shields up," Vader ordered.

"I can't! This is too hard with you attacking me!" Luke stopped and took a deep breath. "I've barely managed the shields when I'm sitting."

"What is the practical use of only using your shields when meditating, boy?" Vader questioned. "Do you think the Emperor will attack your mind only then? Your already know I was not so kind. The Emperor will be far worse."

Luke flinched. The deep regret filled Vader. Through his mask, Vader's eyes traveled to the boy's cheeks. The bruising had died down. Yet Vader had purposely chosen those words carefully. He needed Luke to see the severity of his situation. The boy needed to take this training seriously. Even if it was harming the relationship between the two, Vader knew he could patch it up later. It was more important his son be able to protect himself and stay hidden from Sidious.

"Again," Vader commanded. The sith push aside his personal distaste at making his son uncomfortable. "Put your shields up and keep them up this time."


	36. Chapter 36

The blue lightsaber hummed as it slashed through the air. Over the past week since returning from Brolsam, Leia often found herself in Luke's training room with the lightsaber she had kept from Nar Shaddaa. Luke's own lightsaber sat on the floor. He had left it behind when they went undercover on the Brolsam base in case they had to go through any weapon scans. Now it lay untouched on the floor.

There had been no news on Luke. The Alliance had called in on their spies abroad the  _Devastator_. Darth Vader had returned to the ship from Brolsam, but there was no log of a prisoner arriving at the same time. One spy even went down to the detention center of the ship to get a visual confirmation. None of the prisoners kept there were Luke.

Several members of the Alliance High Command thought Vader had most likely killed Luke off already. They spoke of Vader's history of instantly killing off Jedi and any force sensitives. Yet Leia knew. She told them as much. She would have felt it if Luke were killed. Even now she reached out along their connection and was met with a solid wall. The type of wall she was familiar with when Luke wanted to keep her out and away.

 _Surely I would know if Luke was gone. Surely it would be different._ She told herself.  _I know he's still alive._

Others wondered if perhaps Luke had been transferred elsewhere. Perhaps to the Dathomir Imperial Prison or to Imperial Center. Yet the Alliance's intelligence network had yet to find any trace of Luke. There weren't any on traces Brolsam, which sent up some red flags. Someone had clearly erased any record of Luke's capture. Leia had no doubt it was Vader.

Though she had voiced her concerns, the Alliance hadn't really believed her. When asked why she was so certain Luke was alive, a few scoffed and frowned at her when she tried to explain it was a feeling she had. It had frustrated her to no end. They seemed so willing to trust Luke and his "feelings" because he was the Jedi. But they couldn't believe her?

Leia's mother had also been quite vocal about finding Luke. She also believed Vader was personally behind this, and that they needed to focus on the sith to find Luke. Yet, High Command said they already had Vader under as much surveillance as they could. It was hard to get spies close to him, and all his personal files were under heavy security. The Alliance had yet to get anyone or anything close to Vader. Plus it wasn't as if Leia's mother could fully explain why she thought Vader would be so personally involve. As such Alliance members saw her as an over-worried mother.

Finally annoyed with the mother and daughter, the Alliance gave the two new duties. Padmé was shuffled into the bureaucratic mess of supply requests of the Ordnance and Supply and the Ministry of Supply. She made her way through request forms and inventory lists as she made sure all information was up to date across all parts of the Alliance. With the Alliance constantly on the move and separated into many different parts, it was easy for the paperwork to simply get casted aside to be filed later.

Leia worked in intelligence going over various news reports from various different systems that weren't broadcasted in Basic. While at least it was a job using her background, it was still tedious and boring. Many of the news broadcasts were filled with mundane reports on the weather, local politics and news.

Her anxiety from Luke missing to her boring job gave her lots of pent up energy. Often after her work shift, she came here to tire herself out with the lightsaber. She desperately wished she knew what she was doing. She had no idea if anything she was doing was correct. Did she have the correct grip? Was she swinging it correctly? At least she hadn't accidentally sliced off her own leg yet.

She had yet to try practicing with any of the seeker droids. Luke kept a nice little collection of them. The memory of Luke using the lightsaber for the first time on the  _Millennium Falcon_  was still fresh in Leia's mind. He stood there with a helmet on with its blaster shield down. A seeker droid zipped around him.

She remembered the conflict of emotions. On one hand she wanted to tell Luke to stop as their mother had always been vocal about the two learning to use the Force. On the other hand, she had been intrigued. There was some sort of spell on her as she watched. She had experienced it the few other times she had watched Luke train as well.

She remembered Luke's proud smile the first time he deflected a seeker's bolt, and Ben turning to Leia.  _"Perhaps you would like to try as well?"_ the old man had asked her.

Leia found herself at the cabinets in the back corner of the training room. The metal door was open and inside was a box of seeker droids. She picked one up. When Ben had asked if she wanted to try training with the lightsaber she had hesitated. She was afraid. And that's what it really boiled down to. She was afraid.

_Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._

Back on the  _Falcon_ those many months ago that was the excuse she had given herself. Her mother's mantra. Yet it was pointless to follow it now. Luke was gone. Taken by their father, the very person her mother had invented that mantra for.

" _Kriff_  it," she said as walked back into the center of the room with a droid in hand. Everything had been dashed to hell already. Her mother's mantra abandoned. There was no point in following it now.

She set the seeker droid on the weakest setting and watched as the small sphere raised up into the air. Leia took a few steps back and brought her lightsaber and ignited it. The droid shot off a few lasers. Each time they hit, it sent a sharp but small pain into her.

_A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through them._

Leia took a sudden breath as the words float through her. They are not her own. They're not Luke's. It almost sounds like Ben. A laser hit in her upper arm. She had gotten distracted and lost track of the droid. She grunted in annoyance and brought her saber back up.

_Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct._

This time she wasn't surprised by Ben's voice. Instead she kept her saber up, and followed the droid. Again the droid shot at Leia. She barely missed it before stung into her shoulder. Again a laser bolt stung into her. She was getting frustrated. Why did she think she could do this?

_Stretch out with your feelings._

Leia stopped moving, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.  _Stretch out my feelings?_  She wondered how to do that. Keeping her closed she imagined the training room. She saw the cabinet in the corner and Luke's lightsaber on the ground. Through each breath the picture became clearer and clearer.

Without even thinking she brought up her saber and felt the hilt in her hand jerk. She opened her eyes in time to see the red bolt bounce away from the blue beam. There is a sharp intake of air, but Leia realized it was not her own. She spun around to see Winter standing in the doorway. Embarrassment immediately flushed through Leia. She felt her cheeks starting to burn.

Winter was dressed in her normal princess attire of the white belted flowing dress. Her hair is carefully pinned into two buns on either side of her head. She glanced around the room, but eyes kept coming back to Leia, the lightsaber, and the seeker droid. Remembering the droid, Leia turned and snatched it out of the air. She quickly turned it off.

"Win-Winter," Leia said awkwardly. "Hello."

Winter appeared to collect herself and stood a bit straighter. "Hello," she replied and stepped into the room.

"Can I help you with something?" Leia asked.

"I was just coming to see how you were doing," Winter replied.

Leia had barely seen Winter since coming back from Brolsam. After a few attempts at trying to convince Winter to speak to High Command about Luke, Leia just avoided the princess.

"I'm fine," Leia said. She knew the words sounded false and hallow. "Have you heard anything about Luke? Any leads?" She couldn't help but ask.

"No," Winter said sadly. "Still no sign of him." She paused. "No trace of him. Nothing."

"And you don't think that odd?"

"Of course I do! Everyone does! Why not go public with Luke's capture? It would be huge hit to our morale. The High Command has been scrambling while they prepare for the backlash for when the Empire finally announces the execution of Pilot Who Shot Down the Death Star. Yet there is nothing," Winter said angrily. Leia can't blame her. She understood Winter's frustrations all too well.

"There is a rumor," Winter continued, "That they might be waiting to execute him in a more public manner. Possibly waiting for the next Empire Day or some other large scale event."

"Is there any large scale events coming up?"

"There is a navy exercise happening at Tureen VII coming up soon. We know Vader is scheduled to be there with his own fleet. Besides simply having spies already in the Imperial navy, the Alliance hadn't planned to do anything during the exercise. Far too risky with more than one fleet along with Vader in attendance."

"But now?" Leia couldn't hide the hope in her voice.

"At the moment, still nothing." Winter sighed. "Are you sure he's still alive?"

"Yes," she replied confidently. "I can still sense him. I know he's alive."

"Sadly some of the members of the High Command don't share your conviction."

"They don't believe me?" Leia asked. A sense of dread rose within her.

"No. They require a bit more solid proof than one girl's feelings."

"It's more than a feeling!" Leia shouted. "It's the Force!"

"No need to argue with me, Leia," Winter said. "I know the Force can work in wondrous ways. I know Luke is strong in the Force."

"But not me?" Leia asked.

"I don't know," Winter said staring intently at Leia as if she was studying her. Scrutinizing her. She glanced at the droid and lightsaber still in Leia's hands. "Are you?"

"Why is that you believe Luke to be strong in the Force, but not me?"

"Because I've see first hand what he's capable of. He's done amazing things. He has amazing luck. There is no way he is just a simple farm boy or a simple fighter pilot. He does things only a Jedi could do."

"And I haven't . . ." Leia said. A familiar anger started to grow in her. She doesn't coat her bitterness as she speaks. "I've never even been given the chance to do otherwise. Some _one_  keeps putting me on standby on the ship each mission I go on."

"I apologize. Perhaps I was a being a bit unfair," Winter said. Her voice sounded sincere, but something feels off about it to Leia. "I hope to change that. Maybe give you a mission to show your worth?"

It was after Winter left, that Leia realized she had agreed to a mission without really thinking about it. She let Winter's words roll around in her. She felt uneasy about all of this, but she didn't know why.


	37. Chapter 37

Padmé couldn't help but think of the woman she used to be. The Queen of Naboo. The Senator of Naboo. A woman who faced many challenges head on. Sometimes recklessly and dangerously so without thought to her own safety. She took great risks to if it meant bringing about the end of the Clone Wars and ensuring peace to the galaxy once again. She fought tirelessly to keep democracy alive. She put the lives of others before her own without a second thought.

Where was that woman now?

Padmé thought that woman died on Mustafar. Strangled and left on the hard floor of a landing platform. The woman who woke up after that disaster was a much different person. One who was left very deeply broken and scarred on a deep internal level. No longer did she worry about the war ending and protecting democracy. She just worried about her children. Her two precious, innocent children.

She worried about her children being turned over to Imperial officials for being Force sensitive. Then being shipped away or simply killed off. She worried about their lineage being discovered. Her children killed off for being the children of a Jedi. She worried more about the father of her children finding them. She worried about him finishing what he started. Strangling each child until they no longer lived. Or worse . . . taking the children away from her. Twisting and turning them into the horrible darkness that was now Padmé 's husband.

_Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._

Padmé Amidala had died. She had let the senator die, and the feeble translator was born for her children's safety. Mae Lars lived, but she was but a shell of her former self. Now she needed to shed herself of Mae Lars. Padmé didn't know if she could completely return to Amidala, but she could no longer be the scared translator. She had to be something  _more_. Her son's life depended on it.

The Alliance had been no help with Luke's predicament. If the Alliance wasn't going to do something, then she needed to do something. Leia still insisted that Luke was still alive. This led Padmé to two thoughts. Either Darth Vader was keeping her son alive only to kill him off when he had her and Leia, or Vader was going to turn her son into a sith like he was. Neither option was what Padmé would accept.

Padmé found herself returning some of the old habits she had formed back on Tatooine. Each day after her work shift, she would scour the holonet for news about Darth Vader. The Alliance's holonet did provide a bit more information than what she got back on Tatooine. However, her hunt for Vader's whereabouts, and luckily her son's, had been forgotten for the moment.

She had just gotten off her work shift and retired to the bunk she shared with Leia. Leia was gone on a mission with Winter. It was supposed to be a simple mission to meet up with a smuggler group that had "gotten their hands on" some Imperial equipment and uniforms. When Padmé turned on the holonet, the first headline immediately caught her attention.

 _A New Jedi Within the Alliance_ , the title read. It showed a still holoimage of Princess Winter on the ground. Behind her stood a female human figure. The figure's back was to the camera, but it was clear she was wielding a blue lightsaber. Red blaster bolts were seen streaking through the image. A white blurry figure of a stormtrooper was seen off in the distance. It was very clear the figure holding the lightsaber was Leia. Padmé would know her daughter anywhere. Yet, she didn't know her daughter had taken up wielding a lightsaber.

That one article had sparked a dozen more articles and questions. Are the Jedi returning? Who was this mystery new Jedi? Were two Jedi enough to bring down Darth Vader? The Empire? What does this mean for the Alliance?

Padmé's anxiety rose to new levels. Here she had been trying to shed herself of the old Mae Lars and to rediscovered Padmé Amidala. Yet now all of Mae's old fears and anxieties clawed back into her.  _What was Leia thinking? How could she draw such attention to herself? She knew Darth Vader was actively hunting her. So why due such a careless thing? She should have stayed hidden._

Padmé worried something had gone wrong with Leia's mission. The meeting place with the smugglers was out in the outer rim, well far away from any Imperial patrols. Then again, something could always go wrong. Padmé prayed to her gods that it wasn't because Vader was involved with this attack. He had already had Luke, and if he got Leia as well . . . Padmé didn't know what she would do.

It was another two days before Leia returned back to  _Home One_. On the second day, Padmé left her work shift early. When the door to the bunk slid open and Padmé saw Leia sitting on her bed, a giant wave of relief flowed through Padmé. Leia looked up and smiled. She was barely on her feet before Padmé had reached her and pulled her daughter into a tight hug.

Padmé pulled back as she looked over Leia. Her hair was down and damp. It appeared she had recently taken a shower. She was wearing loose comfortable clothes in gray tones. But Padmé saw no bruises or blaster burns. Padmé brought a hand up to Leia's cheek.

"You're not hurt?" Padmé couldn't help but ask. Leia let out a small laugh.

"I'm fine mom," Leia reassured her mother.

"There aren't any bruises or cuts that I can't see is there?"

"No. What would I have gotten cut on anyways? The sharp corner of some random counter?"

"But what about the troopers?" Padmé asked.

Leia blinked and furrowed her brows. "Troopers?" she asked. She paused as she glanced to the side clearly thinking. "There weren't any troopers."

Padmé frowned. "Leia you don't have to lie to me about it." Padmé had thought the two were past keeping things from one another.

"I'm not," Leia replied sternly. "We didn't run into any troopers. The mission went as planned. Most of it was just sitting around being bored in hyperspace. Were you told something different?"

It was Padmé's turn to look confused. Something wasn't quite matching up here. She walked over to the holoprojector which still sat on the small table of their bunk. She brought up the image of Leia wielding the lightsaber with Winter sprawled on the floor.

"What is this?" Leia asked. The shock and surprise on her face was clear as she moved closer to the hologram. She leaned down and scrutinized the image. "Is that . . .  _me_?" Leia stood up straight and looked at her mother. The confusion on her face was turning into anger. "Where did you get this image?" Leia asked.

Padmé did not like how this situation was playing out. Something was going on here beyond the two of them. Yet it would do no good to hold back from Leia. If Padmé didn't tell her, Leia would shortly find out.  _Home One_  was abuzz with gossip over the image from the article. Many people did speculate on whether the new mystery Jedi was indeed Leia. Padmé clicked on the projector bringing it to the article.

"A new Jedi?" Leia said softly as she read the article. Leia was quiet for a moment while she read over the article. "What- when- I-," Leia stuttered.

"It's all over the Alliance's channel. Everyone is talking about it," Padmé explained. "Tell me what happened Leia. I'm trying to figure it out."

"I'm trying to figure it out, too!" Leia shouted. She stormed away from the table. She marched between the two beds. Her shoulders were hunched up and her hands were in fists. But then she took a deep breath. Her hands unclenched and she turned and faced her mother. "That never happened. That . . . that image. It didn't happen. You've got to believe me mom."

"I do," Padmé said. It was the truth. She did believe Leia, but she still had a lot of questions. "Any idea on how this happened?"

Leia sat on the bed. She looked tired. Padmé was about to say this could wait until after Leia got some rest, but Leia spoke up. "I think I know how some of it happened . . ." Padmé sat down on her bunk opposite of Leia's. She didn't say word. She just waited for Leia to continue.

"I . . ." Leia started. She looked up at Padmé. She looked unhappy. Guilty.

"Leia," Padmé said. "Whatever it is, it's fine."

"It's just . . .," Leia said again. Her voice was tight. Uncomfortable. Her body was tense again. "I know how you never liked the idea of Luke or I learning about the Force. I know you didn't like him learning how to be a Jedi . . ."

"And now you are too?" Padmé said softly. She made sure there was no discomfort in her voice. Leia only looked up at her mother. Padmé sighed. "It's true that I never approved of you two learning the Force. I just . . . I just was afraid. Afraid I'd lose you, like I did your father. The power would corrupt you." A tense silence stretched between the two.

"I still don't know if I want to be a Jedi truthfully. I wanted to talk to Luke about it . . . but then he . . . I've been thinking about it since joining the Alliance. I kept a lightsaber when I helped free Luke on Nar Shaddaa. After Vrogas Vas . . . I just felt like I needed to  _something_. Anything. I felt so utterly helpless when I faced  _him_. If only I had a way to defend myself."

Leia paused as she took a long look to examine Padmé. Padmé could tell she was watching for her mother's reaction. Padmé kept her face calm and open.

"So I just started practicing with the lightsaber is all," Leia said a bit shyly. "I really have no clue what I'm doing. Just swinging it around desperately trying not to kill myself with it. And well . . . Winter saw me practicing with it. That was when she asked me to go on the mission with her, I agreed.

"Anyways while we were in hyperspace, Winter brought up the lightsaber. She suggested I practice with it. I didn't want to, but she insisted. I told her that I was just trying to learn how to defend myself," Leia paused. It was clear she was recalling the events of the mission. "Winter was so enthusiastic. She was encouraging. She said I should try to practice defending someone else. She offered to be that someone else. She laid on the ground and I just practiced swinging the lightsaber around with a seeker droid."

Leia's eyes met Padmé's. Her eyes were intense. "That was it. That image looked like it was from that practice session. But there were no troopers. We were on the ship. That image isn't accurate."

"It's been changed," Padmé said. Leia nodded. "Well it looks like we'll need to talk to Winter about this. It's clear she was the one who had the image taken. Why do you think she did it? Did she ever mention anything to you?"

Leia thought for a moment. "Possibly," she finally said. "She said the council doesn't believe me when I've said Luke is alive. Maybe if they saw me as a Jedi they might take my claim more seriously?"

"Possible," Padmé agreed. "But why announce it over the holonet? To boost public pressure and opinion? If the council wouldn't take you seriously by yourself, would they take you seriously if more people supported you?"

Leia's face scrunched up in concentration. Padmé had clearly hit on something that had caused Leia to pause and think.

"Morale . . ." Leia said softly. "Winter mentioned that the council has been preparing for when the Empire announces Luke's capture and execution. They fear what that would do to morale of the Alliance."

Neither mother nor daughter spoke for a long while. Both were lost in their own thoughts. Padmé didn't deny she was angry at Winter. The princess had acted without Leia's approval or knowledge. Even if the princess had good intentions of bolstering Leia's reputation in hopes of the council taking her more seriously, how Winter had gone about it was done in poor choice. Which also led Padmé to another thought. What if Winter was not doing this for Leia? What if she was doing it more selfish reasons? Or at least something more focused on the good of the Alliance than on Leia?

Winter didn't know of Leia and Luke's connection to Darth Vader. No one did. They didn't understand why Padmé and Leia were so positive that Darth Vader had Luke. They didn't know that Vader was also looking for Padmé and Leia as well.

 _Should I tell them?_  Padmé wondered.  _Or at least Mon and Winter?_   _Could the Alliance keep us safe? Keep Leia safe? Or would they use that knowledge against us?_ Padmé decided for now it was just best to keep that secret to herself. She would at least see how the upcoming confrontation with Winter went.


	38. Chapter 38

Leia was trying her best to keep calm and rationale. She had let her mother talk her into waiting until the next day to confront Winter. It had only led to a restless night's sleep. She gave up about half way through the night, and seated herself at the small table. She looked at the doctored image of her holding a lightsaber. She read through the article. Then she read through every other article that talked about her she could find.

Her mind went a million different directions as to why Winter would do this. Did she do it for Leia to gain more support from the High Council? Was it for morale? Was it for herself? Something else? Someone else?

Naturally of course Leia's mother had voiced her concern about Darth Vader seeing this. This would only make it easier for Vader to target Leia. It only added another level of frustration to the situation.

" _You know it to be true. You are mine."_

The voice of Darth Vader echoed in her mind. She slammed her fists down on the table. But then she snapped her head back as guilt rushed through her remembering her sleeping mother. Luckily her mother was still asleep. Leia's outburst hadn't woken her up. She let out a deep sigh and curled her head into folded arms on the table. She closed her eyes and reached out for Luke.

It was hard. There must be a large distance between them. It took a lot of thought to push herself to him. But finally she made it to the strong thick walls. She knew on the other side of those walls was Luke. She tapped on the walls. There was no response. She tapped again. Still nothing. It was too hard to keep herself here, so she let herself fall back into her real body.

She hadn't expected Luke to answer, but she hoped he would. She just wanted to know he was all right. That he wasn't in pain. She wanted him to know she hadn't forgotten about him. Most importantly, she wanted to know he was alive. Surely the fact there was a strong wall there meant he was still alive on the other end keeping that wall up.

Right?

By the time the morning had cycled around, Leia's body ached with lack of sleep. But adrenaline and anxiety fueled her. Leia was already dressed by the time her mother woke up. She couldn't bring herself to wear any of the white jumpsuits Winter had loaned her when she first came to the Alliance. Instead she just opted to wear her Alliance uniform. Leia's mother chose the same outfit.

Winter agreed to meet with them at the start of the morning duty shift. Leia and her mother made their way to Winter's private bunk. Winter's bunk wasn't much bigger than Leia's, but it only had one bed. As soon as the door slid open and Leia saw Winter, Leia couldn't contain her anger. She clenched her fists and marched into the room.

"How could you?" Leia demanded as she stormed towards the princess.

"I can explain," Winter said calmly.

"Well by all means, please start," Leia snapped back.

"Leia," came the soft voice of Leia's mother from behind. A hand landed on her shoulder. "Calm down."

Leia took a moment. She took a few deep breaths and tried to let the anger flow out of her.

It was Leia's mother who spoke up first. "Well you know why we're here," she said to Winter. "You changed that image of Leia practicing with the lightsaber. You allowed it out to the public. Why?"

Winter paused as she looked from daughter to mother to daughter. "Simple," she finally said. Her voice was even. Calm. "I'm doing it to save Luke."

"How so?" Leia's mother asked.

Leia herself was suddenly finding herself without words. Winter had paused for a moment. Her eyes went distant as she calculated her next words.

"I plan on having a team inflinitrate the  _Devastator_ , break into Vader's personal quarters, and either find Luke or see what information we can get on him," Winter explained.

"Why the article? Why proclaiming me as a Jedi?" Leia asked. "How would this help?"

"Bait," Winter said.

The room was silent. No one spoke.

"Wha-what?" Leia's mother found her voice first. "Did you just say bait? Bait for what? Who?"

Winter crossed her arms across her chest. "Bait for Vader," she said matter-of-factly. "In order to actually get into Vader's quarters, he can't be in them. It would be best if he's not even on the ship. And we need to catch him off guard. We can't give him time to plan, to move Luke if he is kept somewhere in Vader's quarters. But there is very little which would warrant Darth Vader's immediate personal attention. Except for a Jedi."

A chill ran from Leia's feet to her head and back down again.

"Absolutely not!" Leia's mother shouted. "How dare you endanger Leia like this! You never asked! You never considered! Do you know what you have done?"

"I'm doing what you keep asking me to do!" Winter snapped back. "I'm trying to save Luke, or at least get some information on him! You keep insisting that Vader has him. Well that means getting into Vader's quarters. That means drawing him out! That means you have to have something draw him out with!"

"Mom . . ." Leia said softly, but her plea went unnoticed.

"You-you don't understand!" Leia's mother screamed at Winter. "You understand nothing! You do not know the depths of what you have done! What you have brought on to my daughter!"

"Mom," Leia said again. This time she had found herself. Her voice was steadier, yet it still went unheeded. Leia's mother started to pace around the room.

"He's going to get her too!" Leia's mother voice was filled with worry and edged on panic. "You've only painted a larger target on her back! He'll get her just like he has Luke!"

"Mom," Leia said, "Stop." Leia's mother turned her. Her face a mix of anger and sorrow. "I want to hear to Winter's plan." She turned back towards the princess. "I assume you do have a plan."

There was a small sigh of disapproval from Leia's mother, but otherwise she didn't say anything.

"I do have a plan," Winter said. "There is planned to be a practice of Imperial navy maneuvers over Tureen VII soon. It will be between two fleets, one of which is Vader's. Tureen VII is currently under a blockade due to helping supply the Alliance. Two star destroyers have been stationed there, but the real problem has been the squadrons of TIE fighters stationed on the two moons. Nothing had been able to get in. The people of Tureen VII are dying of starvation."

"Like Brolsam," Leia's mother said softly.

"No even worse," Winter said. "The Empire needed the people of Brolsam to tend to their fields. Tureen VII? They are not spared the same kindness. The Alliance has been desperately trying to find a way to break through the blockade. Previous attempts have failed. We simply do not have the ships or manpower to overcome the blockade."

"And Leia wielding a lightsaber suddenly tips the odds in the Alliance's favor?" Leia's mother said darkly.

"No," Winter said. She had kept calm and collected the entire time. "The reason why Tureen VII was chosen as the spot, was to practice practice military exercises while having to take into account a planet's gravity."

"They could have picked an uninhabited planet," Leia said. But she already knew the Empire had chosen carefully.

Winter continued. "It isn't just to practice with the effects of planetary gravity, but also to gauge the aftermath of the battle on the planet. We don't have details of the military exercises, but this game might include one fleet having to 'protect' spots on the planet. The goal is to see how well they can. What will the fallout be on the planet? What damage will the cities and the people take?"

Winter paused as she turned and looked out the small viewport her room had the luxury of having.

"So," Leia's mother said. "You plan on interrupting the exercise, using that chaos to get a team to infiltrate Vader's layers and hopefully rescue Luke. But . . . but this won't save the people of Tureen VII. You said so yourself. The Alliance doesn't have the manpower or resources to break the blockade. What chance would they stand when two fleets are there?"

"I know," Winter said softly. She turned back to face the other two women. "I honestly don't expect the blockage to be broken. But I do plan on stopping the military exercises, and hopefully sending supplies down to the planet."

It was a hard choice, Leia understood. The Alliance had to pick and choose its battles. They couldn't be everywhere. They couldn't do everything for everyone who deserved it.

"But you still haven't said how," Leia said. "Nor how do I fit into any of this."

"It's simple. Create a disruption right as the exercises start. The good thing is that we'll have the element of surprise, but also their weapons will either be loaded with blanks or set to lower power levels. They'll have to switch them back over to engage in a real battle. Granted once they do, we'll have two fleets on us, but by that time our forces should be in retreat. The goal isn't to engage them. The goal is to drag them away from Tureen VII. What else is more tempting than real Rebels?"

"What if they don't give chase?" Leia's mother asked.

"They will," Winter said. There was a dark sense of experience in her words. Winter knew all too well the lengths the Empire would go to destroy the Alliance. "Especially with Vader there. Hopefully it's his fleet that pursues us, leaving the other fleet behind. But that's where you come in Leia." Winter was looking straight at Leia now. "We need Vader come after us. More importantly, we need Vader himself to leave his ship. We need you to act as bait. We're hoping a slip of using the wrong frequencies, frequencies the Empire would be monitoring, would give away that the Alliance's new Jedi has joined the fray."

"And?" Leia's mother asked. Winter looked over at her questioningly. "What happens next? How will you keep Vader away from Leia? Prevent her from being captured?"

Winter took a deep breath. She looked over at the pair and a confident smile came across her lips. She explained the rest of her plan.


	39. Chapter 39

Luke had been with his father for two weeks now. About week ago Vader allowed Luke to leave his own bedroom. He was allowed into the sitting room, a small kitchen, the training room, a library, and a workroom. The workroom was Luke's favorite. He wasn't that surprised the sith kept a private workroom considering how much of his body was mechanical. The back of the workroom was lined with prosthetic arms and legs. The first time he saw them, Luke looked back at the huge armored figure of Vader.

"You may ask," Vader had said.

Luke had shifted uncomfortably, until his curiosity trumped his fear. "How many limbs are prosthetic?"

"All of them," Vader replied. There was a sense of anger and bitterness there.

Luke glanced back over at the prosthetics on the back wall. "What happened?" he asked in a whisper. He had hoped that perhaps maybe the other hadn't heard, but he had.

"Kenobi," Vader growled. Luke could sense his father's anger growing. "We dueled. He cut off three of my limbs, the fourth was already a prosthetic. He left me to burn to death on the edge of a river of lava. It is due to those injuries that require me to use this suit."

Luke's attention went back to Darth Vader. "Ben did that? I knew you two fought. I knew he injured you . . . but . . . not to that extent."

"You should learn, my son, that the Jedi are all liars," Vader said. "They are not to be trusted. I am not surprised that Kenobi lied to you all these years."

Luke later wondered if perhaps that was when Vader tried to kill his mother. That is why Ben fought so cruelly against Vader. He couldn't blame Ben if that was the reason why. Luke wondered what he would have done in Ben's place. But then again, Luke still didn't know the complete story of what happened. Vader had claimed he never meant to harm his mother, yet at the same time how did he accidentally choke her? Did he choke her? He wanted to know the truth, but he had yet to gather enough courage to ask.

The room was filled with more than just the prosthetic limbs. Luke was surprised to learn that Darth Vader also built and maintained his own droids. This is what Vader allowed Luke to work on in the room. However, Luke was limited to what he could do in the work room. Certain tools were locked away in a toolbox only Vader had access to. Luke figured Vader didn't want him having anything that could allow him to break free.

Luke sat at a work able in the workroom fiddling with some droid parts. Suddenly, he felt Darth Vader's anger rolling through the Force. As the man approached, the situation only got worse. The darkness was overwhelming to Luke. He put a hand on the worktable to steady himself. The door slid open and Vader stormed into the room. His black cloak billowing behind him. The sith lord stopped and stared at Luke. The anger seemed to recede some.

"Come," he ordered Luke. Vader turned and left the room. Luke sighed and followed after him. He had learned to just avoid any petty forms of resistance to Vader. When Vader allowed Luke more access to Vader's quarters, he warned Luke that it could be all taken away. "You will listen and obey my orders, or I will be forced to keep you confined in that room," Vader had promised. Luke had sensed the truth behind those words.

Vader led Luke into the sitting room. The sith gestured for Luke to take a seat, which he did. However, the sith remained standing. He placed his hands on his belt as he stared at Luke.

"Luke, tell me where your sister and mother are," Vader ordered.

In the two weeks he had been here, Vader had not once asked about Luke's family. Not since the cell and the interrogation.

"I can't," Luke said.

An odd sound escaped Vader's vocoder. Luke wasn't sure if it was a sigh, a huff, or a growl. Luke's father stalked towards the viewport in the room and then paced back over to Luke.

He pointed a finger at Luke while he spoke. "I have mentioned to you how the Emperor must not discover you existence. The same is true for your sister and mother. The Emperor will do the same to your sister as he would to you. Either turn her to the dark side or kill her. If she is turned, then she will be set out to kill you, me, and most likely your mother as well."

Luke had thought heavily on the reasons Vader kept Luke here and insisted Luke train in the ways of the Force. If Vader thought this about Luke, then he surely thought this about Leia as well. Luke had accepted his father's reasons, but it was what the situation called for. If he had to pick, he would rather be free of Vader and back amongst the Alliance. He would not bring his mother and Leia into this prison.

"I can't," Luke replied again.

Anger flowed off the sith in waves. Luke tensed recalling the cell and dark strong probes into his mind. Vader dug something out of one of the compartments on his belt. It was a small holoprojector. He handed it to Luke. Luke turned it on.  _A New Jedi Within the Alliance_  read the headline of an article. Luke recognized the publication logo as one of the Alliance supporters. They published news on the secure Alliance holonet channel.

Luke's eyes traveled to the image. It showed Leia, with her back to the viewer, holding her blue lightsaber. Winter was in front, sprawled on the ground. Blurry troopers were seen in the distance.

 _Leia._  It felt as if Luke's heart fell into his stomach. A cold chill washed over him.  _What is she doing? What has happened?_

"If my spies have seen then this, then so have the Emperor's," Vader's voice boomed.

"No," Luke denied. "This isn't Leia. This . . . there is something wrong, off, about this. This isn't right." He couldn't explain it, but he knew there was a lie within this image. He just didn't know where.

"Go to the next image," Vader ordered. Luke clicked the button on the projector.

Again Leia's back was to the camera. But she was holding the lightsaber aloft in the air as if in a victory pose. Uniformed Alliance members were rushing past her, their blasters up and drawn. At the bottom of the image were the words:  _Restore the Republic_.

Luke was completely flabbergasted. "I- I-" he stuttered. He honestly didn't know.

"Rebel propaganda," Vader said. "Recruitment material to their pathetic cause."

"But this isn't Leia!" Luke shouted.

"That is not your sister in the image?"

"Yes, but I mean this isn't her! She wouldn't do this! She's not a Jedi, not like me-" Luke stopped himself short. Was that true? He had seen her with the blue lightsaber right before they left for Brolsam. She had kept that a secret from him.

Luke became aware of the sound of Vader's breathing through his respirator and the small amount of pleasure coming off the man. _Pleasure? Why was he happy? Had he orchestrated all of this with Leia?_

"Your anger is misplaced, my son," Vader said. "I had nothing to do with this. It is the Rebellion that is using your sister, as they aimed to use you. You can use your anger. Direct it towards your Alliance."

Luke clenched his fists. He knew what his father was trying to do. What Darth Vader was trying to do. Lure him into the dark side. He closed his eyes and tried to let go of his anger, but Vader interrupted him.

"Do not release your anger," the sith's deep voice came. "It will only make you stronger. Use it to guide you."

"Will you stop?" Luke hissed. Surprisingly, Vader complied. Luke closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Slowly the anger fled him. When he opened his eyes, Vader stood watching his son.

"Luke, I want to show you something. But I'll need you to lower your shields," Vader said.

"No. You're just trying to get into my mind to figure out where Leia is."

"Luke I have never lied to you. I never will. I will not dig through your mind."

Luke could sense the truth in Vader's words. "What is it that you want to show me?" Luke couldn't help but ask. Vader was quiet for a long while. Luke shifted a bit uncomfortably.

Then finally the sith answered. "My fear."

Luke had not been expecting that answer. His fear? What did Darth Vader fear? Vader was fear. But could he trust this man? His father? Luke's heart started to race. He found it a little hard to swallow. Luke didn't trust himself to speak, but in the end he nodded his consent. He was too curious.

Vader walked and stood right in front of Luke. "Now close your eyes," he ordered and Luke followed. "Just let go." Luke could sense the dark energy of Vader in the Force. He could sense his massive swirling presence just outside his walls. But the presence just patiently waited. Slowly and a bit reluctantly, Luke lowered his mental shields. It honestly felt weird to lower them. He had worked so hard in learning how to construct them and keep them up.

Then he felt Vader reach out for him. It was also a new and different experience for Luke. Vader had always invaded Luke's mind with harsh, sharp tendrils. It had never been with care like now. Luke felt Vader grab hold and suddenly he was whisked away.

Darkness.

Luke couldn't believe how much darkness there was. It surrounded him. He could feel it. There was a weight to it. It pressed down on him all around. It felt hard to breath. His breath came in and out in wheezes. It was starting to become painful to breath, but air kept being pushed into his lungs. But then the world started to lighten up, but only in reds.

 _This is Vader_ , Luke realized.  _This is inside his suit._

"Lord Vader," came a raspy voice.

The red-toned world came into focus. Vader was kneeling in front of a chair. A man covered completely in a black cloak sat in the chair. Luke realized with a cold chill that this was the Emperor.

"You have failed me," the Emperor said. He brought up both his hands with his fingers outstretched towards Vader. Blue lightning erupted from the Emperor's fingers and zapped through the air.

Luke's instincts yelled at him to move. To jump. To dodge. But Luke was not in control. Vader merely waited for the bolts to hit him. When they did unbelievable pain jolted through him. Each part of of his body was on fire and screaming. His body tightened and spasmed. His teeth clenched. A scream was bit back.

It was madness. His body vibrated which only agitated the burning sensation running through every nerve in his body. His muscles felt like they were being twisted the wrong way. As if they were a wet cloth being wrung out. He no longer had any control of his body.

And then it stopped. It was shocking to go from one moment of unbelievable and unrelenting pain to nothing. His body was sore. It ached. He felt woozy and dizzy. The world was spinning. Breathing was the worst of it. It hurt. It was hard. Why did he have to breath?

Through it all, Luke made out the Emperor's voice again. "Do not fail me again, Vader."

Luke was falling forward but large hands caught him. Vader carefully leaned Luke back into the chair he was sitting in. Luke was back in Vader's sitting room. He was back in his own body. It hadn't happened. There had been no lightning. No pain. But Force, it felt so real. His breathing was deep, but he noted he could breathe with ease. There was no pain.

"Luke, just breathe. It is fine."

Luke wasn't sure how long it took him to calm down. But he sat on the sofa for a long while. His breathing deep. All the while Vader stood right next to him. Unmoving, silent, but watching. What felt like hours, but could have only been minutes, Luke sat up. His head hurt.

"What was that?" Luke asked. His voice was weak. Vader didn't respond. "What did I see? Was that the Emperor? Was that your memory? You lived through that?"

"Yes," Vader replied softly. At least as softly as his vocoder could allow. "I would like to say that was the only time that had happened, but it was one of many. It is my master's preferred way to show his displeasure."

"How many?" Luke couldn't imagine living through that a second time.

"I have lost count." Silence stretched between the two. Luke's mind kept going back to his father's memory. "Luke," Vader's voice said bringing Luke out of his thoughts. "You see why I cannot allow my family to fall into the Emperor's hands. Luke, tell me where your sister and mother are."

"I can't," Luke said as looked into his lap. Luke could feel the frustration roll off Vader. But before the sith could say anything, Luke continued. "I can't, because I don't know where they are. By now the Alliance fleet has moved."

"You can use the Force," Vader stated. Luke looked up at the black mask.

"The Force?"

"You and your sister have a strong Force bond. You can reach out to her."

"We could actually speak to each other?" Luke knew he had a special connection with his sister. The two had always assumed it was just something special between twins. But it made sense it had to do with the Force. Yet they had never been able to communicate words between them. Only emotions.

"Yes," Vader said. He seemed amused.

"I don't know how," Luke said. Luke swore Vader smiled behind his mask.

"Then I shall teach you," came the sith's response.


	40. Chapter 40

_Leia . . ._

_Leia . . ._

A voice was calling her. She knew it was coming from a distance, but she couldn't tell from which direction. As soon as she turned her head toward the sound, the voice would come from a new direction. Behind her or beside her. The place she found herself was nothing but a dull white. She couldn't make out anything except for her named being called.

Slowly she noticed it was starting to feel warmer and warmer. A soft but rough wind started to blow. The dull white was changing into a dull brown then to orange to yellow. Slowly she noticed the ground become sand. The wind was rough because it contained sand. Then her surroundings cleared.

She instantly recognized where she was. She was on Tatooine. The twin suns were in the sky. She wore her old Tatooine clothes. Her hair was back in the loose bun and braids she used to wear.

_Leia._

This time she could hear the voice clearly. She turned around and found herself in front of Ben Kenobi's old hut.

_Leia._

The voice was coming from inside. She walked to the hut and entered. Inside was old Ben sitting at his table. He looked over at her with a warm smile.

"Leia," he said. She realized it had been his voice all along calling her.

"Ben?" she asked as she stepped forward.

"Come sit down. Join me," Ben said as he waved to a seat at the table. He looked as she remembered him. White hair and beard. His tan and brown robes.

Leia did so, but she couldn't help but remember the last time she had been here. It was the day everything changed. They had buried Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru back at the homestead and had come back to Ben's hut. Ben argued for the family go to Alderaan. They had never made it there, and Ben had died on the Death Star. Alderaan had been destroyed.

"What is going on?" Leia asked confused. "How is this possible? You're dead."

"Yes I am," Ben said. There was a bit of sadness in his eyes, but he smiled at Leia.

"Oh," was the only reply Leia could manage.

The two sat quietly. Leia listened to the familiar sound of the wind blowing the sand around. She could hear the sand softly hitting the side of the hut and slipped under the door. She found it comforting, and she realized she was a bit homesick for this place.

"Leia, we must talk," Ben said finally. "I am concerned about your brother."

"Join the club," Leia muttered.

"I truly hope this plan of the Alliance works out," Ben continued. "Luke is already in great danger."

"Do . . . do you know where Luke is?" Leia couldn't help but ask. "Do you know if he is ok? Ben?"

Ben looked towards the door for a moment. His eyes distant. "The only thing I can say is that your brother is indeed being held by Darth Vader. Vader's influence on him is growing stronger. I sense darkness starting to take root in your brother. Once he starts down the path of the dark side, there is no going back."

Ben looked back at Leia. Despite the heat, a cold fear washed through her for her brother.

"Luke would never," Leia whispered, but then she regained her voice. "Luke would never turn to the dark side. He knows what happened to Darth Vader."

"He is not doing it willingly, Leia," Ben explained. "The dark side is extremely manipulative. Vader has most likely filled Luke with believable lies. Luke is trying to stay strong, but the dark side is getting closer. You need to get Luke away from Vader."

"I'm trying to!" Leia said. Ben nodded and smiled. Once again he looked towards the door. Leia also turned and noticed the door was now open.

"I'm afraid I cannot stay." Ben's voice was a soft whisper. Leia turned back, but found she was alone. Ben was gone.

"Leia!"

She jumped at the sound of her name. It was being shouted by someone outside. Their voice was being carried on the wind.

"Leia!" It came again, but this time she was certain. She knew this voice.

"Luke!" she shouted back as she ran outside.

The wind was picking and sand was being thrown everywhere. It was the start of a sandstorm, but she could still hear Luke calling her. She pulled her shirt up over her nose and mouth. She shielded her eyes with a raised arm.

"Luke! Where are you?"

"Leia! I'm right here!" he shouted back. His voice was much louder, much clearer, but she couldn't see him. She kept moving through the sandstorm calling his name.

"Luke, I can't find you!"

"Leia!" he brother shouted. "It's ok. Are you safe?"

"Yes! Are you?" In the back of her mind she felt like it was an odd question to ask during a sandstorm. Neither one of them were safe out here. She should get back to the hut.

"Yes," Luke replied. "Leia where are you?"

"I'm out here in this storm!" she shouted. "We should get back!"

"No, not in this storm. Where  _are_  you?"

She paused at that question. Where was she? Wasn't she in this storm? On Tatooine? But no that wasn't right. She wasn't on Tatooine. Where was she?

"I'm . . . on the  _Millenium Falcon_ ," she responded. She felt the truth in those words. Yes, that is where she was.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to you! I'm coming to get you!"

"What?" Luke shouted back surprised. "No! Leia don't come here!"

"But I have to!" Leia shouted. She remembered Ben's warning from before. She had to save her brother. She had to get him away from Darth Vader before he fell to the dark side. Before Luke was no more, replaced by something far worse.

"No! Leia! Turn around! But don't go back to the Alliance!"

"What? Why?"

But the wind was picking up. It was getting darker. The sand was starting to hurt. Leia found it hard to stand. She could still hear Luke's voice, but could not make out his words. Finally the force of the storm was too much, and she fell to her knees. Sand instantly covered her legs.

"Luke!" she cried out. "Luke!"

* * *

Leia woke up to the dark room of the crew quarters of the  _Millennium Falcon_. She rested her arm on her forehead as if to stop her mind from spinning. _It was just a dream_ , she thought.  _But it felt so real_. Her mind replayed the dream. She contemplated Ben and Luke's words. They seemed at odds with one another. Ben said that Luke needed to be rescued from Darth Vader, yet Luke said not to come get him.

Was Ben right? Was Luke being manipulated by the sith? Or was it something else? She didn't know. Leia let out a frustrated sigh. Her mind went back to the hangar on  _Home One_  before she left on the mission. She had said her goodbyes to her mother. Leia was slightly surprised but relieved her mother would not be on the mission.

"I have something to do here," her mother said. "In case this plan to rescue Luke doesn't work. I'm working on another plan." Leia inquired what her mother's plan was, but she wouldn't give any details. Instead she said, "Leia, just promise me you'll be safe. Please don't do anything rash. Please come back."

"I will Mom," Leia promised.

Leia knew her role in this mission. She wasn't the one to go off to infiltrate the star destroyer. She was the bait to lure Darth Vader out. The idea did honestly scare her some. Her previous run in with the man still haunted her. She really did not want his attention on her.  _You know it to be true_ , Vader had said.  _You are mine._ Each time Leia remembered those words she could still feel the possessiveness of Vader wrap around her.

Leia rolled out of bed and turned the lights on. She smoothed out her outfit. It was suppose to make her look like a Jedi, but she didn't wear any of the outside long robes. It was just a white and tan tunic that was belted at her waist. Leia found her lightsaber and clipped it to her belt.

She took a deep breath. The whole outfit felt off to her. It didn't feel right. She wasn't a Jedi. She knew this was all lie to draw out Vader, but they were still lying to the Alliance. They were selling Leia as a Jedi. Some kind of beacon of hope, when she was in fact not. What would the fallout of this plan be when it came out she was not a Jedi?

She would have to worry about that later. Once they had Luke back. For now Leia made her way to the cockpit. All the seats were filled. Han sat in the pilot's seat, Chewbacca in the co-pilot's, and Winter and Sana sat in the two passenger seats.

"Perfect timing" Han said over his shoulder. He wore a headset.

"How close are we?" Leia asked. The blue streaks of hyperspace zoomed out the viewport.

"Pretty close. We'll be there in the next few minutes," Han replied. He then looked over his shoulder at Winter. "Are you sure want to do this?"

Winter was gazing out the window. Her face set in a determined frown. "Yes," she finally said.

"Well I'll go get on a gun," Sana said as she pushed herself out her chair. Leia took Sana's chair. Chewbacca also got up and disappeared down the hallway. Winter moved into the empty co-pilot seat.

"Hold on," Han said. "We'll be coming in close and fast."

The com started to pick up with chatter from the two squads of X-Wings accompanying them. They were getting ready to drop of hyperspace as well. Suddenly the blue lines died away and viewport was completely filled with a star destroyer.

"Hello sweetheart," Han said as he pushed the  _Falcon_ towards the destroyer. "Get those photon bombs loaded Chewie!"

It didn't take long for the destroyer to scramble its TIE fighters. The two squads of X-Wings immediately set out to engage them. Red and green bolts streaked across the battlefield.

"We're making our first run," Han said into his headset.

"Copy that  _Falcon_ ," a voice responded over the com. "All fighters protect the  _Falcon_."

Han pushed the ship toward the destroyer. He came in low and close. The destroyer's turrets started to rotate and let loose a volley of fire towards the freighter. Han zoomed along the hull of the ship.

"It's a heavy fire zone here," Han shouted. "Someone get these turrets off of me." Han turned to Winter and mumbled, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

The _Falcon_  came around to the backend of the destroyer. The bright blue light of the three large engines was almost blinding. How Han managed to successfully pilot the  _Falcon_  around enemy fire, Leia didn't know.

"We're making our first run!" Han announced. "Ready princess?"

"Just hold it steady!" Winter snapped. Her hands tightened on the controls. Han sharply turned the  _Falcon_  up and to the right aiming for an area above the engines.

"Now!" Han said as they came closer and closer to the destroyer.

Winter pressed the controls and two blue photon bombs burst from the  _Falcon_. However, they missed. They landed to the side of some paneling.

"Run failed," Han announced. "Going around to make another."

"Copy that _Falcon_ ," came the voice of one of the squad leaders.

"Chewie load some more photon bombs," Han ordered. A growling sound came over the com. "I know. I know. We don't have that many bombs. Let's try and not miss this time." Han said the last line to Winter.

"I wouldn't have missed if you held your ship steady," she barked back at him.

Again Han swerved through the battle dodging TIE fighters and turret fighter. They were again at the back of the destroyer. They lined up the run. Winter let out two more photon bombs. They exploded into the destroyer. A hole opened up.

"Success!" Han shouted. "Breach made! Alright boys, do your thing."

"This is Red Three," came a fighter. "I've got my eyes on the breach. Making my run now." There was a moment's pause. "Torpedos away! They went in! I repeat they went in!"

"We should see signs of the reactor overloading any second now," another pilot spoke up.

"There it is! The reactors in overload!"

"They're hightailing it out of there! It's working!"

Various shuttles were scene leaving en masse from the destroyer. They were evacuating with their reactor set to explode within a few minutes.

"All right," Han said with a smile. "Let's go get us a star destroyer." Han pushed his ship through the various fleeing Imperial shuttles towards a hangar. "Hello _Harbinger_ ," Han said as made a rough landing into the hangar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally caught up to current chapter on FF.net. So this will finally update with that site.


	41. Chapter 41

"You sure about this?" Han asked as he looked over at Leia. They both stood on the bridge of the star destroyer  _Harbinger_. The Alliance had successfully captured the ship after they had caused the main reactor to overload. The Imperials had abandoned ship thinking it was soon to blow up. The Alliance jumped aboard, ejected the main reactor, and jumped into hyperspace right as the old reactor exploded.

They barely had a skeleton crew to man the destroyer. A star destroyer was usually manned by a crew of 2,000. They only had 200, but so far they had managed. They had floated in space for a few days as the Alliance loaded the relief supplies onto the ship and prepared for the upcoming confrontation at Tureen VII.

"You keep asking me that," Leia responded.

"Well listen, this is it. Once we jump to hyperspace there is no backing out. We'll come out right in the middle of two Imperial fleets with Darth Vader breathing down our throats." Han said. "You can still go back. You don't have to go through with this."

Leia tried to smile bravely at Han, but was sure it came off a bit too weak. "I've got to save Luke," she said.

"Listen, we're running on the backup generator which is on the verge overloading. We somehow managed to keep the hyperdrive from shorting out. We're already losing powers to some sections of the ship. Our shields are spotty and our ion cannons went offline a few hours ago. And we're about to blast into the middle of a whole bunch of properly working star destroyers in hopes we can squeeze past them before they can switch over from play-mode into death-mode and launch a bunch of supplies to the surface of some planet. Oh and hopefully this will all distract Darth Vader enough that we can get a team into his personal rooms on board his personal ship to see if your brother  _might_  be there."

Leia just stared at Han. "Anything else?" she asked.

"Oh and you'll be flying around in the middle of that chaos hoping Vader will actually come after you because of your current Jedi get-up," he replied as he gestured to her outfit. "Seriously this plan is being held together by string and tape. If I were you, I'd back out of it now."

"Then why haven't you?" she asked sharply. "You can back out of this now. Take your ship and go."

Han turned away from her grumbling under his breath. Leia ran a hand over her Jedi uniform. The Rebels on the ship all gave her long stares and whispered behind her back. She hated wearing it. She was ready to be back to just normal Leia. Perhaps she wouldn't be a Jedi like Luke.

Princess Winter entered the bridge. She walked over to Han and Leia. "The preparations all set?" she asked. Han mumbled a confirmation. "Good then let's jump to hyperspace."

Han gave one last look at Leia that said "last chance." Leia shook her head at him. He shrugged and gave the signal to the men manning the stations below. The ship shuddered but then the familiar blue streaks of light filled up the bridge's viewport.

"What is the status of the ion cannons?" Winter asked a technician.

"Still down, ma'am," he replied. "We sent a maintenance crew down there two hours ago. They haven't reported back. We've been trying to call them, but no one has heard from them. Not even the engine crew."

Winter sighed.

"I'll go look for them," Leia offered. "Not like I'm much help here."

Winter nodded and Leia made her way out of the bridge. In truth she was glad to leave. The eyes of the bridge crew kept following her. She made her way through the massive ship and into the engine room where she found Sana with the engine crew. Sana and a small crew of Rebels agreed to accompany Leia.

The corridors were dark in the low levels of the ship. Each of them held a flashlight to light their way. "Must be a section where the power is out," Leia said. "Their coms could be out as well."

"What are the chances of a whole maintenance team going missing?" Sana snapped.

"It's a big ship," Leia offered but she knew she sounded unsure. "They could have gotten lost."

Leia glanced back over at Sana who stopped at a wall. Sana's flashlight was aimed at it. "These are blast marks," she said as she stepped up and touched one of the black scorch marks that dashed across the durasteel. "They're fresh." The rest of the team's lights flashed around the corridor. "There's no sign of anyone shooting back. All the marks are going in one direction," Sana continued to point out.

"If it was a one-sided fight . . . then . . . where are the bodies?" Leia asked as her light searched the hallway. It was empty save for them.

"Leia," Han's voice came over the com on Leia's wrist. Leia brought her com up and greeted Han back. "You need to come back up. We're coming out of hyperspace soon. You need to be ready."

"So soon? I thought it would be longer."

"You left the bridge three hours ago," Han said, "But it wasn't a long jump to begin with."

Leia cursed mentally to herself. She hadn't realized how long it had taken her to down to these lower levels nor how long had she been down here.

"Fine, but I think we have a problem down here," Leia replied.

"The problem is," Winter's voice cutted in, "we're going into battle without those ion cannons. We need those fixed now. Leia, you need to get to your station."

Leia was about to explain, when Winter's voice came over all the coms. "Attention, all commands. This is Winter Organa. We are nearing our objective. I know I'm asking a lot of you, but the people of Tureen VII are dying. We're their only hope right now. Watch out for your brothers and sisters next to you, and I promise we'll make a difference today. May the Force be with us all."

Sana had snapped her com up and waited through the speech impatiently. The moment it was over Sana spoke, "Nice speech and all princess, but listen I don't think the maintenance crew is lost. There are fresh blast marks down here. I don't think we're alone."

"Are you saying there are still Imperial troops on this ship?"

"I'm saying it's not impossible there are some troops left."

Winter sighed. "Sana. Leia. Please just get to your stations before anything else goes wron-" Winter was cut off by the sound of a large bang coming through the com from Winter.

"Winter?" Leia and Sana called out at the same time.

"Was that an explosion?" Leia pressed. "Winter?"

"We've gotta get out of here," Sana said as she pulled on Leia's sleeve. Leia knocked her off and continued forward calling Winter's name over the com. "Leia!" Sana hissed. "We've gotta get to-"

Blast doors slammed shut behind Leia. She felt the doors slide against her back. They must have shut the moment she was across the threshold.

"Leia?" Sana shouted through the doors.

"What? Sana?" she shouted back. "Did you shut the doors?"

"No!" Sana replied. "Leia just get out of here!"

"Let's just open the doors back-"

Something slammed into Leia's side. Pain flashed through her as she fell to the ground. She didn't have time to get herself straight before a crushing force was on her stomach. She looked up to see a stormtrooper towering over her. His boot was firmly pressing her down. He held a blaster in one hand that was pointing down at her.

"Hello little Jedi," the trooper said.

A cold fear washed through her. This was not how this was supposed to go. She was not a Jedi. She was suppose to be a on ship when it came to facing the Imperials. She wasn't supposed to actually come into any enemy contact, especially not physically like this.

"Surrender," the trooper ordered.

"No!" Leia said as she kicked both her feet up and knocked the blaster loose from the trooper. She jumped to her feet. If this trooper thought she was a Jedi, than she was to play the Jedi. She pulled her lightsaber out and ignited the blue beam. "I won't surrender!" she shouted.

The trooper pulled out a lightsaber and ignited a green blade. "Put that thing away kid," the trooper said. "You have no idea how to use that. You're no _real_  Jedi."

Anger pushed Leia forward as she brought back her blade to swing down at the trooper. But the trooper surged forward incredibly fast. He slammed the hilt on his lightsaber into Leia's shoulder. She slammed into the ground. The green saber pointed down at her neck.

"You're done kid," the trooper announced. "This whole operation is. It was done the moment my boys and I stepped on board. Now hands up and surrender."

Leia rolled to her side and jumped up. She brought her lightsaber down against the other. Sparks flew from where the two beams met. The trooper knocked the blades to the side and quickly dashed forwarded. His free hand balled into a fist and slammed into her stomach. She fell to the ground again. The trooper was fast and quickly slammed his boot down on Leia's hand holding the saber. She gasped in pain and let go of the saber. It rolled away.

Every bit of Leia was suddenly cold and numb. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at the white armor of the trooper. The trooper moved his foot off of her wrist. He promptly retrieved her lightsaber and clipped to his own belt along with his own. He retrieved the blaster Leia had kicked from him earlier.

The ship shuddered as it exited hyperspace. It only took a few moments before the ship started to rattle and shake as if being hit by cannon fire. The trooper knelt down and grabbed Leia tightly by the wrist. He pulled her up to her feet.

"Time to go," the trooper ordered. "Before they blow this ship apart."

That wasn't right. They were supposed to be using training ammo. "You're not going to stop this ship!" she growled as she tried to pull away from him.

"You think we care about this ship?" the trooper asked. "We could have blown it up days ago. Only one reason we didn't. But I'll let Darth Vader tell you all about it. He's waiting for you. Now let's go."


	42. Chapter 42

Luke sat in front of a viewport in the sitting room of Vader's set of rooms. Lord Vader had informed him that his fleet and another would be performing some military exercises. Luke could watch from the viewport. Of course Luke was interested. It would be good intelligence to bring back to the Alliance . . .

Would he go back to the Alliance? Hadn't he told Leia to leave it? From the propaganda material Vader had shown him, the Alliance was using Leia. But . . . Luke thought of everyone he had met. Han. Winter. The other X-Wing pilots. Could he just leave it all behind?

_Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden._

A small headache formed thinking of his mother's old mantra. If he left the Alliance isn't that what he would be doing? Hiding away from the Alliance? Away from the Empire? Or perhaps there was another group he could join? Another cause he could get behind?

 _Or you could stay here. With your father_. A very dark thought whispered to him.

Luke frowned, and then sighed. For now he would just have to take it one day at a time. He turned his attention back out the viewport. Luke could see a bit of the other fleet off in the distance. TIE fighters flew in formation. A few squads chased other squads, but that was about all the action there was. The large ships weren't doing much. Luke wondered if the exercises had even started.

Then suddenly everything changed. Cannons started firing. The TIE fighters swarmed. Luke sat up and examined the formations, but something seemed off. It didn't appear the two fleets were firing towards each other. Instead they seemed to be focusing on something beyond Luke's view. Then suddenly a star destroyer came into view. It sped carelessly through the two fleets. It was clearly damaged. Smoke poured from the back engines. Flames were seen in a few spots.

He wondered what kind of exercise this was. Seemed like the two fleets were just picking on this one ship. It wasn't doing much firing back. Something was nagging at Luke. Something was off. He leaned closer to the viewport and examined the damaged star destroyer closer. He noticed the fighters exiting the ship. They weren't TIE fighters . . . they were X-Wings!

Why were their X-Wings on that ship?

Leia's words suddenly came to Luke's mind.  _"I'm going to you! I'm coming to get you!"_  Luke had finally made contact with Leia through their Force bond as Vader had instructed Luke. When he asked where Leia was going, she said she was coming to get him. He told her not to. He told her to turn around. To leave the Alliance. But . . .

Luke closed his eyes and reached into the Force. His breathing evened as he focused on the Force. It started small. First he just focused on himself then he started to stretch himself. He could feel there was life all around him. The fleet was filled with thousands of living beings. They hummed in the Force. Luke felt his way through the Force. It was a familiar path to find the connection he had with Leia. All he needed to do was reach out and-

"Skywalker!"

Luke's concentration was immediately shattered. Luke opened his eyes to find a group of men standing in Vader's sitting room. Two were Imperial officers. Two were white stormtroopers. Luke was a bit disoriented from having come out of the Force so fast.

"Skywalker?" one of the Imperial officers asked. "We're with the Alliance. We're here to get you out."

Luke blinked and just stared. It took a few seconds for the words to process. The Alliance members shared an uneasy glance with each other. They possibly wondered if Vader had done something to the young hero.

"You have a way out?" Luke asked.

"Yes sir," the officer replied with a smile.

The other officer approached holding out a grey Imperial officer's uniform. It matched the other two officer's uniforms.

"Put this on," the officer said handing over the uniform. "Let's get going."

The officer who handed Luke the uniform glanced out of the viewport to the battle scene playing out in space. He frowned. Luke followed the rebel's eyes.

"What is going on out there?" Luke asked.

"A diversion," came a voice through a vocoder. One of the stormtroopers spoke up.

"One that won't last forever," the first officer spoke up. "Let's go Skywalker. We need to hurry."

Luke nodded. He wasted no time in changing in a refresher. He stripped the black clothes Vader had provided him. This was not the moment to be embarrassed. He was sure none of these men cared. Luke slipped on the uniform. It was a bit baggy, but for now it would have to do. The two officers nodded at him once Luke was dressed. A trooper handed Luke a blaster. Luke looked down the hallway to the training room. He knew his lightsaber was locked away. He hated to leave it . . . but this might be his only chance.

"Let's go," Luke said.

He followed the group out of Vader's quarters into a large hallway. The two officers led the group followed by Luke and the two troopers brought up the rear. None of the other Imperials seemed to pay much attention to them. Everyone else seemed to also be in a hurry. Their attention was elsewhere.

Luke followed the two Alliance members through the maze of the destroyer. There was a sense of confidence coming off of them, but also a healthy dose of fear and anxiety. Luke noted they seemed to go be going down and out, most likely towards a hangar. Surely they had a ship ready. The group turned a corner but they all stopped suddenly. The blast doors were closed blocking off the hallway they were going to go down. The lights on the door panel were all red. One of the fake-officers approached it.

"The doors have been closed due to structural integrity," he groaned.

"Most likely some damage from the battle," the other officer replied. "We are nearing the outside wall. A shot could have gotten through."

"We'll just have to go through a different hall," the first officer said. They turned around and started making their way through the hallways. Luke noticed there were more and more pilots in the area with their black jumpsuits. Surely they had to be closer to the hangars.

Luke sighed in relief when he saw the large doors of the open hangar in front of them. Pilots, deck crew, and engineers ran about. As they stepped into a hangar, an officer immediately approached them.

"Battle crews only," he barked at them. He waved them back they way they came.

"Sorry we're just trying to get to Hangar B-7," one of the rebels explained.

"This is no longer simple drills," the deck officer growled. He waved to the far open doors. "Those are Rebel ships. This is an actual battle. Active battle crew only."

The rebel officer opened his mouth to say something, but the other put a hand lightly on the back of his back. He jerked his head to motion they return they way they came. The group once again turned around. The leading rebel ending up pulling the group into a small side office. It was filled with turned off terminals. It looked to be a maintenance room. A place where one could access the various systems of the ship.

"That wasn't the right hangar!" one of the troopers barked as he took of his helm.

"I got turned around!" the officer barked back. "Let's see if we can find a map. Looks like this place would have one."

"We need to hurry!" hissed the other trooper. "The fleet is going to pull out. They're just meant as a diversion. This isn't an actual battle."

The arguing continued as the two officers stepped up to a terminal. Luke's head was starting to hurt. A throbbing pain was growing in his head.

_Luke._

Luke straightened up and glanced widely around. Luckily no one was paying attention to him.

_Luke._

_. . . fath- Vader?_

_Luke. It is useless to run._

Luke cursed to himself. Vader knew he had left. Knew he was trying to escape. Is that why they couldn't make it to the right hangar?

_Return to me, and I will spare those rebels who are with you now._

There was a moment of silence as Luke considered Vader's words, but then Vader continued.

_If you continue, I will force you to come back. I will not harm you, but I will personally see to it that any Rebels will be killed. But it does not have to be that way, my son. They can live. They can escape on their shuttle. Rejoin the Rebel fleet. As long as you return to my side._

Luke felt like he couldn't get enough breath into his lungs. As if his lungs couldn't expand all the way. His breathing was short and shallow. The four disguised rebels were still busy arguing and looking over at the terminals to notice anything was amiss with Luke. Luke could sense the promise in Vader's words. The sith meant each word he said.

 _Luke it is your destiny and proper place to be at my side. Do not run from it_ , Vader continued to persuade his son.

"Alright I found a route!" one of the officers shouted.

The other three rebels seemed to perk up with this information. One of the troopers looked over at Luke and smiled. "Alright, let's get out here!" he said as he pulled the white trooper helmet back over his head. Luke only nodded.

Again the group was back into the corridors. Luke felt like each Imperial they passed was eyeing him. As if as soon as Luke was passed them, they were going to report back to Vader. Luke's eyes scanned the halls for security cameras. He felt like he was being watched. Followed.

He still had time. He could still turn back. Return to Vader . . . his father. But . . .

 _Luke_ , Vader's voice cut into Luke's thoughts. His voice was harder. Darker. Angrier.

"We've got to hurry," Luke said.

No one paused. The two disguised officers glanced back at him and nodded. Luke had made his decision. He couldn't stay here. Regardless of what Vader said, he was a prisoner. Plus he still had his mom and sister to worry about.

The group had to make their way down five levels. They were moving at a faster pace. Luckily they weren't the only ones hurrying along. At times troopers and pilots jogged down the hallway. They entered another lift to take them back up to the floor they needed to be on. As soon as the doors slid shut a wave of anger washed over Luke. He put his hand on the side of the lift to steady himself.

"You ok?" asked one of the officers. Luke merely nodded.

 _So you have made your decision_ , Vader said. His words were pointed. They seemed to stab at Luke. Vader was angry, but when Luke opened himself up to the Force he also noted there was more to just anger there coming from his father. There was also hurt, betrayal, sadness, but these very minor. They were heavily buried under the boiling anger and possessiveness Vader was projecting into the Force.

The group came up to another hangar. Luke glanced up at the door label. B-7. This was the right one. The officers led the group towards an Imperial cargo shuttle. Unlike the previous hangar, this one was very quiet. Luke looked around for the deck officer and crew. He stopped when he noticed the hangar was empty. The rest of the group paused as well.

"Sky- er, Sir?" one trooper asked. Luke ignored him. He opened himself up to the Force as his father had taught him. This was the easiest step, to simply open oneself up and feel the life around you. But as Luke did so, Vader's anger and darkness was waiting.

_I will give you one last chance, Luke. Surrender. Return to your proper place willingly._

One of the troopers grabbed Luke by the arm and started to pull him towards the waiting shuttle. Luke let himself be pulled along, but his eyes kept darting wildly around. This was a trap. Vader wasn't going to let him just walk right out of here. The Force seemed to be tense. There was danger, Luke was certain. But where? How? He stumbled up the ramp and into the shuttle. He almost ran into one of the rebel officers, who had stopped.

Luke looked up and noticed the shuttle's sitting area was filled with four other troopers. Their blasters aimed at the rebels. Luke could hear one of the rebel troopers grip his blaster and bring it up. Boots were heard running across the hangar and then clanging up the ramp. Troops poured into the sitting area behind the rebels.

Time seemed to slow down. The troopers in front of them raised their blasters. Luke noted the aim of their muzzles. None of them were pointed at Luke, but at the other rebels.

 _Father, no!_ Luke cried into the Force.

 _They could have lived, Luke,_ Vader replied.

Luke saw the troopers pull the trigger. Red beams tore through the air and hit the two rebel officers right in the chest. The two bodies fell to the floor. A silent no escaped Luke's lips as he stared at the lifeless bodies of the two rebels. He didn't even notice the other blaster shots that hit the two rebels disguised as the stormtroopers. The vibrations of their bodies hitting the floor knocked Luke back into reality. Luke turned to look at their bodies, but was met with the bright green light of a stun bolt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As with all my other stories I've updated recently, I'm very sorry for not updating this. Life got very busy for me in the last two months. I do keep a [tumblr](https://silvereddaye.tumblr.com/) where I try to keep updates and post WIPs and stuff.


	43. Chapter 43

Luke was awaken by his body being jolted around. He realized he was restrained. He started to panic. He struggled to get up, to be free.

"Calm down, Skywalker," a voice said.

Luke blinked and slowly his view came into focus. He was strapped in to a chair in a cockpit. Two men sat in the pilot seats. Both were dressed as stormtroopers, but neither had their helmets on. Beyond the men and out the viewport, space was filled with battle. TIEs swarmed past them. Red and green bolts zapped by. Star destroyers were seen off in the distance. Two X-Wings flew by.

Luke thought back to what had happened last. He had been trying to escape. Trying to leave his- Trying to leave Vader. But Vader had planned a trap. Troops had been waiting on the shuttle. They had shot the Rebels that had helped Luke escape, and then they had stunned Luke. So how? What was happening?

"They're trying to herd us in," one of the pilots barked at the other.

"Looks like they want us alive," the other agreed.

"What? Who?" Luke mumbled. The co-pilot turned around and flashed a smile.

"Alright back there?" he asked. "Sorry for the rough ride. The Imperials aren't letting us escape all that easily."

"I've got the coordinates for the jump," the pilot said. "Just need to get to an open spot."

"But how did we get free?" Luke asked.

"We were the back-up plan," the co-pilot responded cheerifully.

That still didn't explain how they had gotten to this point. What had happened after he was stunned? The shuttle had been filled with Imperial troops. Unless these two were part of those troops? After Luke was stunned, did they turn on the other troopers and then just take the shuttle? Did that mean . . . the dead bodies were still in the sitting area?

Luke sighed and leaned his head back. He tried to calm down. To recenter himself. He wasn't aware he had subconsciously opened himself up to the Force to do so. He wasn't met with the calming flow of the Force, but instead a thrashing darkness and rage.

 _Vader_ , Luke realized. Icy cold tendrils of the dark side seemed to twist around Luke. Pinning him to his seat.

 _Luke_ , Vader said. He was angry. The angriest Luke had seen him in a long time. The icy coldness of Vader seemed to pierce into Luke. He let out a silent gasp. Suddenly he became aware that Vader was out here, in space. In fact he was nearby. Most likely in his own fighter. He could feel Vader's proximity. His focus on Luke.

 _Luke, stop the Rebel pilots in your shuttle_ , Vader said.

Luke clenched his teeth. His own anger flaring at his father. He recalled Vader blaming Luke for the death of the four rebels who had freed him from Vader's quarters. If only Luke had agreed to come back. It had only served to remind Luke that he needed to get away from Vader. He may put on a kind act in front of Luke, but Vader was still the ruthless sith lord.

 _No_ , Luke hissed back in the Force.  _I'm not going back._

Anger flared up in the Force. Vader's icy presence was turning hot. Luke felt the Force squeeze him.

Vader's voice came again,  _There is nothing for you in the Rebellion, my son. Your place is at my side. Those fools only seek to use you. You saw how they've already used your sister. You think you are any different? They will only send you out on reckless missions until you are either killed or captured by the Emperor's men._

 _Leia. Mother_ , Luke thought but then realized he had projected that thought out to Vader. The Force hold from Vader softened a bit. It didn't matter what Vader said or did. Luke needed to get back. To make sure his family was ok.

 _Luke, I have Leia_ , Vader said calmly.

_No . . ._

Vader pushed forward,  _The Alliance thought to foolishly use her as a distraction in their attempt to free you. Sergeant Kreel, whom you should remember as the Gamemaster from Grakkus' arena, was able to successfully secure your sister. The Alliance cares not for Leia's safety. She was merely a pawn to get you back._

 _No._ It was the only response Luke could think of. But what was he saying no to? No that Vader had Leia? No that the Alliance was used her as a distraction? Or that they didn't care about Leia?  _No. No. No_ , Luke said into the Force again. It didn't matter what he was denying. He had to go back. He couldn't leave Leia alone with Vader. The Force only knew what that man would do to manipulate her.

"Stop!" Luke shouted. The two pilots jumped and briefly looked back at Luke.

"Stop?" the pilot asked as he looked forward.

"We have to go back!" Luke said as he started to fumble with the safety straps. He didn't register that the dark side had pulled back from him allowing him to move.

"Go back?" the co-pilot said. "We can't go back! The whole mission was to get you out!"

"He- Vader has Leia! I have to go back! I can't leave her behind!" Luke said desperately.

"Leia?" the pilot asked to the co-pilot.

"That Jedi," the co-pilot answered. The pilot nodded. There was a welcomed clinking noise as the straps finally came free. Luke pushed himself up.

"Sit back down, Skywalker," the pilot barked. "Our orders are to bring you back."

"Not without Leia!"

"It would be suicide to go back!" the co-pilot argued. "The Alliance ships are already pulling out. Look!"

Luke looked out to see ships jumping into hyperspace. His heart sank. What was he going to do? He couldn't leave Leia.

 _You can stop the pilots_ , Vader's voice was back.  _Use the Force. Use your anger._

Luke became acutely aware of the Force humming around and through the two pilots. He could see just how easy it would be. All he had to do was reach out with the Force. He could throw them to the side and take the controls. He could pull their blasters to him. He could squeeze their throats . . .

"No! Stop!" Luke cried out loud. The two pilots shared an uneasy look with each other.

"Sorry, sir," the co-pilot said.

"There's a clearing up ahead, be ready to jump as soon as it's clear," the pilot said.

"No, please," Luke begged. But the moment the words left his mouth, the co-pilot pushed on the hyperdrive lever. The ship jumped into hyperspace. The blue streaking lights filled up the viewport. Luke felt Vader's anger explode behind him and then quickly disappear as the ship moved further and further into hyperspace. Luke slumped down into his chair.

* * *

There was a crowd waiting for him at the end of the loading ramp in the hangar of Home One. A lot of the people wore the orange jumpsuits of pilots. But there were quite a few others mixed in as well. They all smiled. Clapped Luke on the back. They said how happy they were to have him back. Winter appeared through the crowd and hugged in.

Yet Luke was numb. He smiled back at them, but he was merely putting on a show. He was not feeling happy or victorious as the rest of the crowd. Luke saw the _Millennium Falcon_ docked in the hangar. The loading ramp was down, and Han and Chewbacca were walking down. They weren't looking over towards Luke, but instead their eyes were focused ahead to a figure waiting for them. Luke's mother approached them.

Luke pushed through the crowd and ran across the hangar. "Mom!" he shouted. He didn't care. They were supposed keep his relationship with his mother a secret. But Luke was past the point of caring. Why did it matter? Vader clearly knew who he was.

Padmé turned towards Luke. She wore a simple Alliance uniform. Her hair was pulled back into a simple bun. She looked tired, but the moment she saw Luke her face lit up. She ran the last few steps. Mother and son hugged each other fiercely. Both grabbing each other tightly.

"Luke!" she whispered into his hair. "Oh Luke! My Luke. You're safe."

"Mom," Luke whispered back.

"Hey kid."

Luke looked up to see Han and Chewbacca had approached.

"Captain Solo," Luke's mother said warmly. "I see your mission was a success." She looked back over at Luke and smiled.

"Well . . ." Han said uncomfortably. His gaze shifted around the hangar, unwilling to meet Padmé's gaze.

"Vader has Leia," Luke said. He knew why Han was uncomfortable. There was no easy way about this. His mother needed to know. Padmé's eyes widened in horror.

"No," she said weakly. "No. Please no." Luke only hugged his mother. "Just when we got you back, and now Leia," Padmé said into Luke's shoulder. Through the Force he could feel his mother's despair eating away the happiness she had had moments before.

* * *

Luke hadn't returned to his bunk he shared with Wedge. Instead he was laying in Leia's bed in the bunk she shared with their mother. He could smell his sister. It was nostalgic. It made him think of simpler times. Back when he worried about how he was going to afford power converters for his skyhopper. How he would attend a flight academy.

In one way, Luke had gotten the things he wanted. He was a pilot. He had left Tatooine. But at what price? Would he trade his current life for his old one? It was a question Luke couldn't answer. He loved piloting. He wanted to be a Jedi. But Leia and his mother . . . they would be safe and Vader would still not know of their existence.

Luke was thankful his mother had left to go on her work shift. She had been hovering over him ever since they had been reunited. She was now working in the Ordnance and Supply and the Ministry of Supply handling supply requests. It had gotten awkward when his mother had questioned him about Vader.

"Did he hurt you?" Padmé asked.

Luke opened his mouth to say no, but then he quickly recalled the cell on Brolsam. The hard blows Vader had given him.

"Luke," she repeated more sternly. "You can tell me. Did he hurt you? Did he touch you?"

"Mom," Luke groaned slightly. "I'm fine."

"Did he hurt you?" she asked again. There was a fire in her voice. Luke couldn't answer, at least not with words. He nodded. Padmé ran her hands over her face.

"But that was only at the beginning, when we first met. I kind of provoked him," Luke explained.

"Do not make excuses for him!" his mother snapped. "He should never have touched you no matter what!"

He could feel his mother's guilt and fear and anger bleeding into the Force. Luke realized this was more than just what had happened to him, but what had also happened to his mother on the eve of his birth. No matter what else Luke said about Vader, nothing would ever make up for Vader's violence towards his family.

Luke relished in the silence once his mother had gone to work. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. He reached out into the Force. He easily found his bond with Leia, but when he pulled it didn't budge. The otherside didn't open up. There was no response from Leia.

Luke was worried about Leia. If anyone could provoke Darth Vader, it would be her. She wouldn't back down from a fight, especially the verbal variety. Luke could just imagine his small sister standing tall in front of the towering form of Vader throwing insults at him. It did bring a small smile to Luke's face, but it was quickly washed away with worry and fear.

A knock came at the door. Luke got up and made his way over to the door. He was wearing gray sweatpants and a white sleeveless tank. The door slid open to reveal Winter Organa holding a covered food plate. She looked as she always had. Her white hair was braided up into a complicated bun. She wore an all white dress. She smiled warmly at Luke.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said.

Luke only shrugged and stepped back to let Winter in. She placed the food on the small table and took a seat. Luke joined her in the other seat. An awkward silence filled the room as Luke opened the plate and started eating. It was Winter who spoke first.

"I'm glad you're alright, Luke," she said. There was honest relief in her voice. "We didn't know what to think. Many thought you were dead."

"Except Leia and my mother," Luke said.

"And me," Winter added. "Luke . . . I just can't believe Vader didn't keep you locked up. What . . . what happened?"

Luke sighed in irritation. The family connection to Vader was still a secret. "I already gave my report to Command," Luke grumbled. "I didn't lie. Vader wanted me to turn to the Dark Side. Become an agent of the Empire."

"And he just kept you in his private quarters?" Winter asked clearly skeptical.

Luke understood it was very out of character for Darth Vader, who was known for strangling officers and killing rebels without a second glance. Why wouldn't Vader keep Luke locked up in a cell? Chained up to some torture device?

"I don't pretend to understand Darth Vader," Luke said dryly. "And now he has Leia," Luke said softly and sadly.

"Do you think he'll treat her the same?" Winter asked. "Do you think he'll try to . . . convert her like he did to you?"

"Yes," Luke answered truthfully.

"Really? Even though she wasn't a real Jedi?"

Luke looked over at Winter. "Not a real Jedi?" It wasn't until after he spoke did he remember the propaganda the Alliance had run featuring Leia as a Jedi.

"Well she isn't," Winter said. "Not like you. What do you think will happen when Vader realizes that?"

Luke was speechless. He didn't know what to say. He knew Vader would keep Leia in his personal quarters to avoid the Emperor's spies. He knew Vader would try to convert Leia because she could be just as strong in the Force as Luke. He knew Vader would also try since Leia was his daughter. But he couldn't tell Winter any of that.

"I don't know," Luke said after a pause in the conversation. "But I can't let her stay there. I have to get her out."

"Luke, that's way too dangerous," Winter said.

"But it wasn't too dangerous for Leia to get me out?" Luke said as anger crept into his voice. "She risked everything to free me."

"And now security would be that much higher. We wouldn't be able to do the same thing again, unless Leia is transferred somewhere else. We might have to wait until she is transferred off the  _Devastator_."

"But who knows when that will be!" Luke said.

"It's the best chance we have for High Command to agree to any rescue mission," Winter explained calmly.

"We can't wait that long!"

"You two are very much alike," Winter said. "Your sister was the same way about freeing you."

"And you expect me to be any different?" Luke argued. "There is no way I'm leaving my sister alone with Vader."

"Luke!" Winter said. Her hand dashed across the table and grabbed his arm. "Don't try anything rash. Don't go against orders. It's too dangerous. We can't afford to lose you."

"But you could afford to lose Leia?" he bit back.

"It was a predicted outcome," Winter said softly.

Luke pulled his arm back sharply away from Winter. He stomped over to the bed and pulled on his boots. Then he left leaving Winter sitting there alone.


	44. Chapter 44

Padmé marched through  _Home One_  towards Mon Mothma's office. Her hands were clenched by her sides. Her head was straight. Whoever she passed, got out of her way. She didn't pause for anyone. She didn't hesitate when she reached Mon's office. She strode right in. Granted she did have an appointment, but she was here on a mission.

Knowing that Vader had hurt Luke, his own son, was enough to enrage Padmé. Clearly Vader was still the monster Sith she always feared he was. Though Luke had argued that Vader had only hit Luke when they first met in a cell, Vader knew who Luke was. He still chose to let anger get the better of him. He chose to hit his son.

Luke had explained Vader's plans with Padmé. Vader wanted all of his family with him so he could keep them safe from the Emperor. The Emperor who would use the twins as weapons and kill the rest of the Skywalker family off. However, Vader was not that much better. He wanted the twins to fall to the dark side, so they could kill the Emperor and claim the throne.

"He kept saying it was my destiny," Luke had explained to his mother.

Padmé didn't care about that. What had destiny ever done for her or her family? Anakin was supposedly the destined Chosen One of the Jedi. He was suppose to bring balance to the Force. It was a label Anakin Skywalker hated. Yet now he believed in destiny?

"Hello Padmé," Mon greeted. She was poised and collected and radiated that politician calm.

"Thanks for seeing me," Padmé said. "I'm going to get straight to the point. My children being taken by Vader has made me reconsider my role in the Alliance. I want to do more. The Empire must be taken down. If I can help do that, I will."

"And what are you thinking of?" Mon asked.

"When we first met on Yavin you said that the return of Padmé Amidala, the famed Senator of Naboo, could restore democracy. That I could help bring more systems to the Alliance cause. Well here I am offering that," Padmé explained.

"You're saying . . . you want to come out as Padmé Amidala? Publicly? Even though she is believed to be dead for twenty years now?" Mon asked cautiously.

"If that is what is needed or if that is what helps, then yes. This is no longer about me," Padmé said. "My children will never be safe in the Empire. I may be acting for selfish reasons, but they do align yours."

Mon paused clearly in thought.

"I will give you some time to think about," Padmé offered. "Let me know what you decide."

Padmé bid Mon goodbye and left the office.

 

* * *

 

Padmé wove her way through the hangar. She told herself she was being too overprotective of Luke, but without Leia there she found staying her bunk too depressing. Luke was grounded from flying, but he had been hanging around the hangar with his old flying squad mates and tending to any repairs he could help with.

She found her son sitting on a cargo crate next to an X-Wing talking to a fellow pilot. The other pilot was a human female with short brown hair and bangs.

"Hello Luke," Padmé said. She nodded at the pilot.

"Hi mom," Luke greeted back.

"Mom?" the pilot asked as she looked over Padmé with curiosity.

"Ah yeah . . ." Luke said. "This is my mom, Mae Lars." Luke still used Padmé's fake name. "Mom, this is Shira Brie. She's part of the Rogues."

"Nice to meet you Shira," Padmé greeted the pilot. "It's rare to see a female in amongst the fighter pilots."

Shira laughed. "I agree," she said. "I think the Empire's influence even affects the Alliance. Even amongst the Empire you don't see many females. Their male-centric views have poisoned society with who is acceptable to be a pilot."

Padmé smiled in earnest at Shira. She was well spoken. "And where you do come from Shira?"

"Shalyvane," she replied. "It's in the outer rim. Not much to it, especially now."

"The Empire?" Luke asked.

"No, barbaric aliens called the Em'ily. There was a war between them and the humans. It left the capital city in ruins and the human population devastated."

Padmé only slightly nodded her head. The outer rim systems could be cut throat and cruel, so it was no surprise to hear such things still existed in the galaxy. For a second she pondered the thought if the Republic were still alive could such a thing have been prevented. Could they had enlisted the aid of a Jedi negotiator to stop such a war? She didn't know.

"Luke I was hoping to talk to you, but we can talk later," Padmé said. Luke nodded, but Shira spoke up.

"Oh I don't mind leaving! I'll give you two some space," she said as she backed away. Before Padmé or Luke could say anything, she was halfway across the hangar.

"So, uh, what did you want to talk about?" Luke asked.

"I just talked with Mon Mothma," Padmé said. At once Luke sat up straighter. "I decided I want to come out as Padmé Amidala again. I want to help the Alliance more."

Luke just stared at her wide eyed. Padmé gave him time to think this through. "Are you sure?" he said in an almost whisper. "All my life you've been saying-"

"I know what I've been saying, Luke," Padmé cut him off. "Blend in. Don't attract attention. Stay hidden. Don't let him find you. Too late for all that now." The last sentence had a bitter tone to it.

"Mom it's not too late . . ." Luke said.

A small sad laugh escaped her. "Not too late?" she said sadly. "Oh Luke. It's too late. He already know about us. He has your sister. He already had you."

"You speak like it's inevitable that he'll have all of us," Luke said. Padmé noticed a brief grimace on Luke's face and he glanced down to the ground. "As if it's destiny . . ." he said softly to himself.

"If I have my way about it," Padmé said, "none of us will ever be with that monster."

"You are going to free Leia? How?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "But I will think of something. Or you will. We will together. We'll all be together again, I know it. But regardless, we don't blend in, we've attracted too much attention, and we're barely staying hidden as it is. Especially you." Luke gave her a small smile. "The best thing to do is to help the Alliance win this war and destroy the Empire. If I can help accomplish this faster by . . . "

She paused. Her fear was clawing at her heart and grabbing at her throat. She resisted the temptation to bring her hands up to her throat as she had so many times in the past. Luke's eyebrows were furrowed in concern. His mouth was open as if at any moment he was going to speak up.

"By using the name Padmé Amidala, then so be it," she added quickly.

Luke stood up and walked over to her. "Are you sure?" he asked. He knew. Her little boy knew. He had picked up on her internal battle just then. She put a hand on his cheek.

"Luke, you and your sister are everything to me," she said softly. "I spent all your lives doing what I thought was best for you."

"I know," he replied.

"And I'm not going to stop now," she said.

Luke's hand came up to Padmé's hand that was still on his cheek. He moved her hand over his mouth and gave it a small kiss.

 

* * *

 

Padmé hadn't seen much of her son over the next few days. She had heard from Mon. The two decided to reveal Padmé's identity to High Command. Only a few were truly shocked, those who were involved in the Senate when she was. A few others recognized her name, and there a few youngsters who had no idea. It was decided it was worth a shot to see what would come of Padmé Amidala resurfacing.

Padmé's first mission had been decided. She would go to Pantora to speak with Riyo Chuchi, a previous senator of the Republic Senate. Chuchi, like Padmé, had become a senator quite young. The two had worked together, and Padmé had always respected and appreciated Chuchi.

Padmé felt like this would be a good first test. Would her name carry weight any more? Her goal was to get Pantora to ally with the Alliance. They were an outer rim world. When the Republic collapsed and the Empire rose, they were not officially absorbed into the folds of the Empire. Pantoran government had been divided ever since on whether to join the Empire for financial security or stay true to their Pantoran principals and values which were against the Empire's values. Chuchi was luckily a part of the later group.

The Alliance had allotted Padmé a small sum of money to buy some new clothes. It was Mon who suggested that Padmé at least need to look the part of her old self. While Padmé wouldn't be buying any of the expensive gowns she once wore, she did decide she need something more formal than her Alliance issued clothing. The clothing she had been gifted for the Brolsam mission had of course been lost.

With the help of Captain Solo, Padmé was able to acquire a new outfit. It was a three-piece combo of a jacket, pants, and shirt. She thought it blended well her past life and her current life. It was of a nice quality without looking too rich. Padmé had placed the outfit out on her bed. She ran her hand over the black and blue fabric. She was about to try it on when she heard a knock on her door.

Mon walked in when Padmé answered. She looked sullen. Her hands were clasped in front of her. She didn't speak at first. Instead she took a moment to look around the room. Her eyes fell on the outfit on the bed, but finally she turned to Padmé.

"Luke is gone," Mon said.

"Wha-what?" Padmé asked.

"Today was his first day back in his fighter," Mon explained. "He was doing a simple patrol with two other pilots. At the end of the patrol, Luke swerved off and went into hyperspace without clearance or contact."

Silence.

"Do you know where he went, Padmé?" Mon asked after a moment.

"Leia," Padmé whispered. "He went to Leia. That's the only place I could think he would go."

Mon frowned. "But Leia was captured by Imperials. Even we don't know what happened to her. What ship she was imprisoned on."

"Luke will find her," Padmé said. Her eyes were not focused on Mon. They were staring off into the distance. "He just will. They have a connection. Perhaps it was because they're twins or it may be the Force. But he'll find her."

"If he returned to the Imperials willingly . . . This won't be good, especially after the Tureen VII. A lot of resources and lives went into that mission to free Luke. If he goes back to Empire . . . He may be regarded as a traitor to the Alliance."

"No!" Padmé said snapping her attention back on Mon. "He did not betray the Alliance. Luke would never do that. If he left to go back to the Empire, he only did it to save Leia."

"And how do you suppose he's going to save her?" Mon pressed. "What else does he have to bargain with except for himself?"

A shiver ran through Padmé, but it didn't pass. Her whole body was trembling. She slowly backed into her bed and slowly sank down on the end of it.

"I . . . I . . . don't know Mon," she said truthfully. "I don't know why he would . . ."

Mon walked over and put a hand on Padmé's shoulder. She squeezed it lightly and said softly, "I'll leave you alone."

With that Padmé was alone. She sat there numbly. Surely Luke hadn't returned to Vader willingly. Why? Why would he do that? Why would he risk himself like that? Especially after Vader had hurt him? Maybe that was why. Maybe he feared for Leia. He would rather get hurt himself than Leia.

Oh her babies. Oh her sweet babies. She had failed them both.

Another knock sounded on her door. Padmé ignored it. She wasn't in the mood to be interrogated by anyone, but the knock came again. She slowly walked over to the door. Shira Brie stood in her orange pilot jumpsuit.

"Ms. Lars," Shira said. "I . . . uh . . ." She knew. She knew about Luke. Who else knew? Had the news spread through the whole Alliance. "This is for you," Shira said as she held out a small holoprojector. The type that would a hold a recorded message.

"Is it from Luke?" Padmé asked.

"I was just told to give it to you," Shira said. She dropped the device into Padmé's hand and left. Padmé closed the door and walked over to the small table inside her room. She placed the small circular projector on the table and pressed play. She wasn't met with a holographic image of her son.

"Padmé," said the image of Darth Vader. "I have both Luke and Leia."


End file.
